All Those Years
by Black5Belt
Summary: They've been friends since childhood. Yup, just friends. Or is it more? *Maiko* Minor pairings later on.
1. Prologue: New Friends

Hey people! Here's another story I thought of...  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar or its characters. Because if I did, it wouldn't be over just yet...  
**Summary: **They've been friends since childhood. Yup, just friends. Or is it more than that?

First chapter; Zuko- 6, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee- 5.

* * *

Prolouge: New Friends

"Do I have to?" Azula complained to her mother, Firelady Ursa.

"Yes honey," she finished brushing her daughter's hair and put it in the usual bun on the top of her head with her crown. "It's your first day of elementary, you should be excited."

"But I'm not." she defiantly crossed her arms.

"Look, your brother's already out the door and he hasn't complained yet," she hated being compared to her older brother. On how much more responsible he is, and how mature he is. But since she got all the attention from her father, Firelord Ozai, her mother would always give more attention to Zuko. She let out one more sigh and walked towards the door.

"Fine...goodbye mother." she waved off once more then eventually caught up with Zuko. "Hey, first day of school...nervous?" she teased.

"Umm...no." he flatly answered.

"Well...you should be." she was determined to get that stuck in his head. "What if the teacher doesn't like you? What if you don't make any friends? What if-" but he stopped her from talking even more.

"Will you stop? I'll be fine!" he paused. "I hope..." he muttered under his breath as he walked past her.

--

"Class, please welcome our newest students, Princess Azula and Prince Zuko." their teacher had them both up in the front of the room. Azula looked proud, her chin up as if she just won some prize. Zuko on the other hand, looked a bit timid. Possibly from what his sister just said not so long ago.

"You mean, the firelord's kids?" some kid piped up. Azula nodded.

"Cool!" another one commented. Finally, the bell rang for the students to have a half-hour recess break. As you've guessed, Azula was surrounded by almost everybody asking to be her friend. By the fence sat Zuko. A few people have talked to him, but sometimes, he felt like being alone. Until a girl approached him.

"Hello Prince Zuko," she stood next to him. He looked up. And as soon as he did, he felt his face flush.

"Um...hi." he smiled.

"What are you doing here all alone?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I just wanted to sit here...to think...and meditate." he sat down with his hands on his lap staring out into the view "So, why aren't you over there begging my sister to be friends with her like everyone else is?" he curiously asked.

"I already talked to her," she sat down beside him. "She said she would 'consider' me to be one of her friends..." she explained quoting the word consider.

"Well, I don't have to 'consider' you if you want to be my friend." he smiled hopefully.

"Thanks," she accepted. "My name is Mai by the way." Just then, Azula came over to them- but following her was another girl about her height/age dressed in pink.

"Okay Mai, you can be one of my friends." she pulled her up. "And this is Ty Lee. She's my friend too." They exchanged smiles as Azula continued talking. "Now let's go play!" she dragged them away. Mai looked back to see Zuko watching as his sister took away one of the only people he's talked to that day.

"Um...see you later." she managed one last goodbye before they were completely gone.

* * *

Okay- this was, of course, the prologue. It kinda gives an insight on how they all met. The chapters are supposed to be by the years, but some will take more chapters that take place in one year. And I'll try to update at least once or twice a week.

Oh yeah, REVIEWS! I take good reviews, bad reviews, constructive criticism, etc. As long as you don't say anything too bad/mean, I'm okay with it :D

-Black5Belt


	2. School Fight

Just like I said- once or twice a week, I'll update...unless I have the chapter early. But here's chapter 2!  
**Disclaimer:** Ya, I put these on every chapter...but no- I don't own Avatar or its characters

The ages are still the same as prologue; Zuko- 6 Azula/Mai/Ty Lee- 5

* * *

Chapter 1: School Fight

Mai had usually been one of the more...shy people. She was surprised she even got to talk to Azula _and _Zuko. But now, she was off in the playground having fun with Ty Lee and Azula on the grassy field. Until someone came up to them.

"Hey, get off my grass." he coldly told the three. Azula, being the bravest of them at the moment, stood up to defend her friends.

"Don't talk to us like that!" her little voice yelled back. Hearing this, Zuko turned to see a boy- about twice their size- picking on the three girls. At first, he thought it would be interesting watching Azula try and defend herself. Until he saw the boy shove them all to the ground. That was far enough.

"Hey!" he called from the other side of the field. "Stop picking on them!" this caused the boy to walk towards him.

"Back off little boy," he stood in front of the prince. Zuko looked up to see he was...well...big- both _horizontal_ and vertical-wise. Stepping back, the young prince's hands lit on fire and his flaming fist was only inches from the boy's face when-

"What is going on here?" the both looked to the right to see the teacher standing over them. The boy took this as an escape.

"Prince Zuko hurt me because...he thinks he can!" he burst into fake tears.

"Prince Zuko!" she was clearly shocked.

"It wasn't his fault!" Azula blurted out. "Um...he was defending us!" she took advantage of this. Ms. Hirano looked over to Azula as she spoke. "The boy pushed us, so Zuko said 'stop'."

"But he didn't." Mai helped. She turned to Ty Lee who was the quietest one at the moment.

"Is that stuff true?" Ty Lee nodded happily. "Okay. Nobody's in trouble...but I will inform your parents about this whole incident..." she started walking away. As soon as she left, Azula turned to her brother.

"What was that for?" she asked, hands on her hips. "You defending me?"

He shrugged, "I don't know...You're annoying, bossy, and pushy." her smirk turned into a frown. "But you're still my sister."

"And-"

"But what about _you_ defending _me_?" he asked her back.

"I don't know," it was her turn to shrug. "I guess it's so I don't owe you...so now we're even." she walked away after this followed by her friends. Then Mai turned around.

"Thanks," he nodded as she followed his sister.

* * *

"Mother! We're home!" Azula called from outside in the courtyard with her sister. He was greeted with a hug while she was greeted with a simple, 'Hello, Azula...' She sat down along with her brother.

"So, how was school today?" she asked noticing the smiles on their faces.

"Hm," Azula sounded as if nothing too interesting happened. "Fine. I made new friends, my teacher is nice, and class was fun today." she decided not to talk about the fight- in fact, she was avoiding it.

"Good," she picked up her daughter's stuff listening to what they had to say. "How about you, Zuko?" her voice was a bit stern.

"It was...good." he tried.

"You don't sound so happy about it." she said as Azula stood up to leave for her room. "Now tell me what happened...about a...fight?" she questioned knowingly. Zuko smiled nervously with Azula now gone for them to talk privately.

"Okay...but- Techincally there was no fight! Just-"

"Zuko," she stopped him. There was not getting out of this one.

"Well, this boy...he was tall and _fat_!" he emphasized fat.

"Don't make fun," she smiled. "Now continue."

"Yes, mom..." he really didn't want to talk. "So he tried hurting Azula and her friends, so of course, I...helped." he refused to make eye contact.

"So all this was to help your sister?"

"And her friends." he replied. "Ty Lee and Mai." Ursa smiled hearing this.

"Hm...so do you have a crush on those girls?" At those words, Zuko was sure his eyes got bigger than they were supposed to. Once again, his face turned pink.

"What?! Why would you think that?" he forced a laugh, but it was clear he was lying.

"Because, my son..." she laughed lightly. "I'm sure you would help your sister, but not that easily...I know you. So mentioning her friends, I was sure you at least had some sort of crush on one of them- if not both."

"Okay," the pinkish shade on his face turned into a somewhat darker crimson color. "Maybe one of them..."

"Oh..." she smiled. "My little Zuko is growing up-"

"Mother!" he stood up to leave. She smiled and let him go.

* * *

Aw! He almost admitted _specifically_ he's got a crush on little Mai! Don't worry, there will more fluff and stuff later (ew, I juts rhymed...XD). Just a heads-up, this story continues on until they're older, and crosses with some episodes so there will be some spoilers in later chapters. But I will mention them to tell you.

AND! If you've seen my profile (and other stories I've written), I also play Tekken. And in Tekken 4, the alternate costume for Xiaoyu is Miharu. Miharu _Hirano_...and guess what? I mentioned their teacher's name is Ms. Hirano! if you caught that without reading this, tell me in a review and you could get a prize! Or not...Ya maybe not...:D

-Black5Belt


	3. Suspicious

Woohoo! The next chapter! This is like my first attempt at those really long stories, so if it's not good, loses its sense, or you just don't like it, please still be nice. And I'll be nice back XD.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar or its characters  
**Spoilers: **No spoliers in this chapter

Ages still the same as last chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2: Suspicious

It's been three months since their first day of Fire Nation elementary- and not much has changed, really. Ty Lee and Mai are still Azula's best friends- even if other kids were still trying to get to her. Azula is still the same bossy, pushy princess to her brother and her friends. And Mai and Zuko are still friends. Yup, just friends.

"Hi Ty Lee, hi Mai." Azula approached them at the playground. School hadn't started yet, so they were free to play until 8:30. The two looked up from the floor to see their friend.

"Hello princess Azula!" Ty Lee quickly stood up from the sand. "So, what do you want to play?"

"I don't know..." she looked around. "I suppose we could just sit on the swings and wait for Ms. Hirano to call us in." she gestured over to where the swings were. Mai shrugged and followed. But right when they were about to get on the swings, a couple of kids ran right in front of them and sat down where they were about to.

"Hey, my friends and I were going to sit there!" Azula, being pretty much the leader, got right in front of them. "Move!"

"Make us!" the girl answered back. Pretty bold answer to a princess. Azula frowned at first. But that frown turned into a smrik as she carefully walked over to the kids and pushed them off. Only hard enough for them to slide off and fall into the soft sand. "Fine!" the girl walked off with her friend leaving Azula satisfied.

"But, there are only two seats left," Ty Lee noticed. She thought for a moment.

"Um, it's okay..." Mai spoke up. Then turned to Azula. "Where's your brother?" she asked shyly.

"Zuko? Oh he's over there." she pointed behind Mai. She turned around to see he was practicing his firebending. She watched as he gracefully stepped into a front stance and blew out fire from his left hand. "Why?" she interrupted her thoughts.

"N-nothing," she lied. "Just curious..." she stared down at her feet. The princess raised an eyebrow and turned to Ty Lee who easily read what she was thinking and shrugged. They watched as Mai just sat on the sand-covered floor occasionally shifting her gaze over to the prince.

"Uh, I have to...use the bathroom." she stood up and left.

"Just out of curiosity, do you think Mai actually likes Zuzu?" she asked using the nickname she knew he hated. "I mean, you know, lately..." she stopped there.

"Well, maybe." the young acrobat answered. Azula snickered. "I mean, they have been talking a lot."

"We'll just wait and see..." she kicked off the ground to let her swing get higher.

At this point, Zuko was half-way through his form he learned from his master. It was required for everyone who had the gift of fire bending. But still being the 6-year-old he is, he only needed to learn half of it until he turned twelve. He carefully lifted his right leg to do a sidekick, of course while blowing fire, when Mai had surprised him.

"Good morning, prince Zuko." she greeted. Still on one foot, he lost balance and ungracefully landed on the grass with a 'thud'. He looked up to see who had caused him to fall. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just-"

"It's okay," he smiled as she helped him up. "So, where's my sister?"

"She and Ty Lee are playing on the swings." they both turned to look at the playground seeing them on the swings go back and forth just talking and laughing. "Of course, there were only two more swings left so..."

"I see..." he was happy to know he was the next person she would turn to.

"So what do you want to do now?" she asked apparently bored.

"Well, Ms. Hirano's already out here so I guess it's time to go in." he spotted his teacher just about ready to call everyone in.

"Okay, let's go." she grabbed his hand, of course causing them both to turn pink, as they ran off. From the other side of the playground, Azula spotted them holding hands. She gently got Ty Lee's attention without taking her eyes off them.

"Aw, how cute!" she cooed folding her hands together by her face. "Now that's-"

"Okay everybody! Time to go inside!" the teacher called as all the kids dashed out of the playground afraid of getting in trouble if they didn't listen. After all, this was a private school. Everyone had to behave.

"Let's just talk to them later," Azula smiled. Ty Lee caught on as the smile spread across her face too.

* * *

Wow. I really have no comment at this point, other than I might update a little faster. Maybe every two days or so. As long as it takes me to think, write, edit and post XD. Now check out my cheesy commercial!

-chessy background music plays- Got any thoughts or comments? Well, tell me in a review! Whether it's (constructive) criticism, compliments, or anything else, I'll take it! So just click on the button that says 'submit review' and and you will...dun dun dun...submit a REVIEW! -cheesy background music stops-

-Black5Belt


	4. Azula Almost Finds Out

Once again, no comment right now. I'm still a bit traumatized from that commercial...XD But this is the FIRST! Chapter with spoilers! Dun dun dun...It's "special"...

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar or its characters. -sniff-  
**Spoilers:** Zuko Alone- part of the flashback scene from when they were kids. I just kind of rewrote it so I don't get in trouble

* * *

Chapter 3: Azula Almost Finds Out

.:."Quack! Quack!" the turtle-ducks swam by the young prince and his mother. They were both sitting in front of the large fountain, and under a shady tree, in the main courtyard just enjoying the fresh air and feeding the animals.

"Here," she handed her son the bread. "You try." The 6-year old stared down at the ducks waiting for more food to come. He's never actually fed turtle-ducks before. Just played with them. Shrugging, he carelessly threw the loaf of bread in the water hitting one of the babies.

"Zuko!" his mother was clearly shocked at his actions. But he could see a small smile on her face too.

"That's how Azula feeds them," he answered. "Except she uses rocks..." Suddenly, they heard angry quacking that caused them to look back at the fountain. The baby duck was no longer underwater, and next to it was its mother evidently angry.

"Um, Zuko? I think it's-"

"OW!" he shreiked as the mother turtle-duck sprang out of the water and bit on his lower leg. Hard. He tried swinging around his leg to try to shake it off, but it just clung to it for as long as it could making it worse. "Mom! Help!" he yelped feeling the stinging pain. Ursa calmly detatched the duck from his leg and set it down back in the water.

"Are you okay?" she looked back at her son who was clutching at his limb.

"That hurt!" he complained as his mother as she gently lifted the end of his pants to see three pretty deep teeth marks. "Stupid tutle-duck..." she stuck his tongue out at the group of turtle-ducks swiming in front of him.

Ursa softly laughed at his coment. "Well Zuko, that's how mothers are. If you mess with their babies," she made a biting sound for 'effects'. "They bite you back." she said as they both laughed. .:.

Suddenly, Azula came into the scene ruining the moment. "Hello," she stood over them with hands on her hips. "Mom, can I talk to Zuko?" she asked innocently. Zuko's face fell knowing this can't be good.

"Sure," she replied.

"Um...alone?" she added after a while.

"Right..." she stood up and left leaving the two siblings alone to talk.

"So, what did you want?" he slowly stood up hesitantly at first.

"I have a question," she smirked. "You know my friend, Mai?" He nodded hoping she wouldn't ask what he thinks she will. "What do you think of her?"

"Well," he suddenly sounded all uncomfortable. "She's nice...fun to talk to, I guess...not too hyper all the time like your other friend. Ty Lo? Ty Lu? Ty...something." he asked cluelessly.

"It's _Ty Lee_, dumb-dumb." she answered. "And is she your friend?"

"I don't talk to her." he obviously didn't get she wasn't talking about Ty Lee anymore. "I didn't even know her name, and-"

"Not Ty Lee!" she nearly lost her calm for a second. "Mai."

"Uh...ya, I suppose she is my friend." Azula slapped her forehead, frustrated she wasn't getting the answers she wanted. He just had to be so cluless all the time. With that, she asked another question.

"Anything else?" she sounded a bit more impatient than earlier.

"N-no, not really." he refused to make eye-contact.

"Ugh, this is harder than I thought..." she looked to her right.

"What's harder than you thought?" apperantly, she didn't say it quiet enough.

"Getting you to admit you like her!" she finally yelled.

"Getting me to admit what-"

"Oh, forget it!" she stormed off angrily. Zuko sighed heavily relieved she didn't get anything out of him. Just yet...

* * *

Ha! The old 'stupid act'. Nice...Anyway, next chapter the two have a longer conversation implying lots of Maiko...so just wait :D And yes, this is a pretty short chapter. But the original version of this chapter was still shorter.

Oh yeah, and if you saw any .:.'s, those are just markers for spoilers in between them.

-Black5Belt


	5. A Little Talk and a Game

Here's the fourth chappie! It's kinda long compared to the others- to make up for last chapter's shortness.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar or its characters. -sighs really deep-  
**Spoilers: **There are no spoilers for this chapter. Except for the things Mai and Ty Lee say in 'The Beach'.

Everyone's a year older in this chapter (finally); Zuko- 7, and the girls are 6.

* * *

Chapter 4: A Little Talk and a Game

It was nice and cloudy outside that day. Nice enough to stay outside and play- if you were only a 6-year-old with your two best friends.

"No, you're not doing it right!" Azula scolded her friend, Ty Lee. Apparently, she wasn't doing whatever they were doing right.

"But...that is how you do a handstand!" she fought back.

"She is from the circus. I'm pretty sure she would know how to do all that fancy flipping and stuff." Mai interrupted. Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.

"Azula, be nicer to your friends." it was Princess Ursa- Zuko and Azula's mother. She was walking with her son. She paused for a moment and spoke up. "Okay Zuko, I have to be somewhere. You stay here with your sister and...well...play with them."

"But mom!" he didn't sound so thrilled.

"What's wrong? They're just girls." she set her hands on her hips.

"That's the problem- I only like playing with boys," he started. "My age," he added.

"Well, you have a younger sister- so you have to get used to it." she started pushing him towards them. "Besides, that one seems nice- you should talk to her, she's all alone." she gestured towards Mai quietly sitting under a tree watching as Azula and Ty Lee were flipping all over the place.

"Her name is Mai. And fine..." he walked towards her. "Uh, hey." he sat by her under the shady tree. She turned her head to her left to see he had sat down with her under the tree. She smiled back feeling her cheeks turn a bright shade of red.

"So..." he tried starting a conversation. "What's up?"

"Not much," she shrugged. "I don't really like doing cart-wheels and handstands, all those things, so I'm just sitting here."

"I would rather not either..." they looked over to the two friends as they struggled to see who could hold a one-handed handstand the longest. Eventually, Azula gave in and fell to the soft grass. Ty Lee gently landed on her feet smiling and playfully sticking her tongue out. Azula, in frustration, sweep kicked her and she fell to the ground as well.

"But mostly because...Azula scares me." he admitted.

"But she's your sister." she was just as surprised as him. "_Younger _sister."

"Ya but...look," he pointed over to the princess and her friend again. Azula had pinned Ty Lee down to the floor and looked pretty ticked off. Whatever she did this time, Zuko and Mai were too disctracted to know.

"You should stop them," he almost laughed seeing Ty Lee squirm, but no progress was seen. Mai shrugged.

"Azula, you should get off her." she plainly said without getting up.

"Or what?" she got off helping a very grateful Ty Lee up. "You'll get your boyfriend to tell our mom?" this caused Ty Lee to giggle which caused the two to turn a deep crimson color. She didn't deny it, which gave Zuko ideas...then he spoke up.

"Be quiet, Azula-" Zuko shot back, easing the tension. "It's not funny."

"Whatever," she turned around to continue their game. "By the way- you two should come help us play a game."

"Why?" Zuko deadpanned.

"Because we need _equal_ teams for a game." she simply answered. He sighed and turned to Mai, who had a look on her face saying, 'no'.

"No."

"Fine," just when he thinks he finally won- "MOM!"

"Okay!" he rushed over to his little sister's mouth and shielded it from ratting him out. He let go once he was comfortable and sure she wasn't going to talk much more. "Fine, I'll play your dumb games- but if you make me do something stupid, I'm leaving!" he conditioned.

"Ya- sure." she walked back to Ty Lee who was quietly watching the argument. "Yes, They fell for it! Now this is how it works..."

"Azula, could you hurry up so we can get over it?" he impatiently asked.

"Ya, ya. So we're playing truth or dare." she smirked.

"But, why would we need teams for-"

"Because we do!" she interrupted. "Just...listen; we need teams because you have the option of turning down the question or the dare. But if you do, there's a consequence."

"Of course," he whispered to himself.

"You have to do something else with your team-mate." she explained. "We go first."

"Alright then. Azula- truth or dare?" Zuko challenged.

"...Truth."

"Okay, remember last week in school when you got into that fight with the earth nation exchange student?" She nodded. "What exactly did you do?"

"Well..." she looked uncomfotable. "She said I was fat, so I pushed her to the floor. Then when she got up and told me I was mean, I pushed her back down...and from the ground, she told me to stop- but instead, I...kicked her in the leg..." Zuko smiled.

"Oh, so technically, there was no fight- instead, it was just you beating some new kid up?" he confirmed. Her gaze flew around the yard as she slowly nodded. "Alright then! I totally have something against you now!" he was clearly proud of himself.

"Your turn," she quickly recovered. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied seemingly not intimidated.

"Okay- I dare you to kiss..." uh oh. Can't be good. "Ty Lee! On the lips!"

"What?!" he asked, shocked. "No way!" Mai sighed, relieved that he didn't say yes to that.

"I thought so- now you have to do something else with Mai." she smiled deviously. Oh she's good..."I dare you two to ki-"

"Zuko! Azula!" their mother got their attention. She approached them holding what looks like 200 peices of gold in her hand. "I need you two to run to the market for me...your father and I have an important meeting right now, but I really need the supplies."

"Um...sure, mom." Zuko took the money. "But if Azula's coming, what about her friends?"

"Can we come too?" Ty Lee asked eagerly. Ursa thought for a minute.

"If you want." she turned around to leave for the meeting. "But watch for eachother. Don't let anything bad happen." Just hope she didn't jinx that...

"You just got lucky..." Azula whispered walking by him followed by her friends.

* * *

Oh no! Clearly something's gonna happen at the market! Well, duh- I mean they don't mention that for nothing...

-Black5Belt


	6. The Market

This chapter is where Azula and Zuko find out Mai and Ty Lee can fight. And I mean fight- like they usually do XD.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar or its characters. -Later- Nope. Still don't own them. -Later, again- Would you quit asking?!  
**Spoilers: **No spoliers in this chapter...again.

Ages are the same; Zuko- 7, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee- 6

* * *

Chapter 5: The Market

"This is so cool! Mom gave us 200G! I can buy-" the young princess thought out loud. They were all walking through busy market, running errands for their busy mother. But they knew it would pay off somehow.

"Azula, we're only supposed to get what mom told us to get." Zuko interrupted her, sounding as if he says it all the time.

"Whatever," she glared at her brother. He had to ruin it. "Look, that's where they're selling the food." she pointed over to the stand with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and meat.

"Okay, let's just get what we need and get out of here." Zuko felt uncomfortable. Everywhere he looked, peasants and and theives had their eye on the four kids. Or more likely, the money they had.

"Look at those kids," a tall man, with a bushy mustache turned to three other men by him. They looked like they didn't have much money, or food/water. And judging by what they said, it looks like they were going to rob them. Their clothes were torn and old, but still had the fire nation emblem on it. "They've got money! And a lot of it!"

"Alright Feng, you make sure everyone is out of sight. Lee, you take them out, and Lei, you take the money." the man told his allies. Feng was tall and muscular, while Lee and Lei, same height/weight, being twins, were shorter, but were still skilled in fighting.

"But what are _you_ going to do?" Feng realized.

"I'm doing it- I tell you what to do," he pushed them out of the dark alley. "Now go!" As soon as they were in sight, the bigger man, Feng, took his broadswords out.

"Alright, I want everybody out of this market!" he showed off his weapons. Everyone, young and old started screaming and dashing out of the place as Feng smiled satisfied. As soon as everyone was gone, the shorter man, Lee, walked towards the kids along with Lei and their 'boss'.

"Give us the money and nobody gets hurt," he threatened.

"Dufus!" the mysterious man thumped the back of his head. "If you let them go, they'll tell on us!"

"Oh," he looked down. "Okay then..." with that, Lee tackled the prince to the ground as he took his 100G.

"Get...off...me!" Zuko struggled. "And give me my money back!" He stood up as well as Zuko did. As soon as he stood up, the man took out his swords and swung them at his mid-section. Zuko felt a small stinging pain afterwards, but ignored it after a while. And while this was happening, Lei moved over to Azula and pinned her to a wall snatching the gold from her hands.

"Hey!" she yelled trying to light her hands with fire.

As soon as Zuko got up, Lee raised his fists to punch the 7-year-old. Zuko closed his eyes and braced up for the pain to strike him in the face, when after a few seconds, there was nothing. Opening his eyes, he saw that the man was pinned to a wall of a building with what looked like daggers. From the other side, he saw Mai looking like she was the one who threw the knives.

"Y-you did that?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes, now get the money before someone else takes it!" she sounded a bit worried. For Mai, showing her emotions was a first. Zuko rushed to the man and grabbed the money from the pocket.

"Stop!" Azula struggled, now with her hands lit up with reddish-orangish fire. Lei shoved the gold in his pocket and prepared to punch the princess, when Ty Lee had delivered a few jabs and kicks to the man's arms, legs, and upper body as he was instantly on the ground. "Thanks!" she thanked her friend and took the money back.

"Are you two okay?" Ty Lee and Azula met up with Zuko and Mai.

"Yup," they confirmed. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Wait!" Zuko stopped them. He took the money from his pocket and his sister, set it on the counter, and took the food supplies his mother asked them to purchase. "Now we go." he said as they prepared to run. But before they could even start running, the man named Feng approached them with his weapons in hand- along with his boss, enraged. The two siblings looked at eachother, then back at the strangers.

"Here," they handed Ty Lee and Mai the stuff they had bought. "This won't take long." He said as they both ran towards the thieves.

"Ready?" she asked. "Go!" she signaled running up to them. At the same time, their hands flamed up a bright yellowish-orange color as a huge fire shot out of their hands hitting the targets. Screaming was heard as they continued to blast away. Once the screams died away, they stopped to see the men on the floor, unconcious.

The scene was pretty brutal; there was a temporarily-paralyzed man on the floor looking a bit traumatized, another man stuck on a wall with about 5 or so daggers, one with a burnt hat, and the other holding broadswords also unconcious.

"Phew!" Azula breathed a sigh of relief. "Now let's get out of here before there are anymore bad guys around."

* * *

Well, ya. This chapter was really to have Mai and Ty Lee show they can fight and defend themselves as well as their friends. They talk about that next chapter.

And once again, I used Tekken as a reference...If you saw that the people's names were Lee, Lei, and Feng? Those are some of the characters from Tekken 5. It doesn't mean that's them, though. I just needed names ;)

One more thing, please review! My record for reviews is 27 (sad...). If I can beat that record, I'll be happy :D. And it's up to you guys to help me with that XD (I know, I know, cheap- but it's all I got)

-Black5Belt


	7. Some Call it Bonding

Here's the next chapter, ppl! Here, they pretty much just find out more about eachother. I also realized that Zuko is 2 years older than Azula and Ty Lee, and only 1 year older than Mai (In the series, Zuko is 16, Azula/Ty Lee are 14, and Mai is 15). So...oops XD. But I'm continuing the story like that anyway.

This chapter may be rated T for a reason. But it's nothing too bad.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar or its characters. And I bet I still won't by the end of this story :(  
**Spoilers: **Nope. Still no spoilers in this chapter

Same ages; Zuko- 7, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee- 6

* * *

Chapter 6: Some Call it Bonding

"Mother! We're home!" Azula called from the front door. Walking through the hallway, they eventually met up with Ursa. "And we got everything you needed!" she handed the bags to her.

"Thank you, children!" she hugged them. "Now, you may continue your games." she walked away. Azula smiled sweetly as her way of saying, 'you're welcome'. She had already left by then leaving Azula empty. Because the thank you was obviously towards Zuko.

"Great! Now let's go back to the backyard," she led them all. Normally, Zuko wasn't a follower, but he really had no choice.

"So, we're out here...now what?" he asked once they got outside. Then, he remembered something. "Oh yeah, back at the market, I didn't know you two could fight."

"Yes well, I guess that's something new you learned today," Ty Lee walked along the border of the fountain as Azula laid down near the water. Mai and Zuko were sitting, once again, under the tree, leaning on each other as Mai twirled one of her blades in her hand.

"Honestly, I didn't know either…" Azula admitted.

"Well…I'm from the circus. And you guys already know that by now...But it's a really long story." she stopped to do a handstand along the edge of the fountain, feeling the cold water close to her face.

"Well, go ahead and tell us." the princess said still relaxing.

"Okay," she started as she landed gently on her feet. "I was born with 6 other sisters who looked exactly like me. It was hard, because it was like I didn't even have my own name…so I joined the circus afraid of being part of a matched set. At least now I'm different."

"What about you getting those guys unconcious?" Zuko added.

"Oh, well one of my friend's father, from the circus of course, also knew acupuncture. Unlike Mai, I don't trust myself with sharp objects, so I learned those pressure points anyway, but I use my hands and feet."

"Wow," Azula comented. "What about you, Mai?"

"What about me?" she asked as if nothing happened.

"You and your fighting style?"

"Oh, that." she looked at the dagger spinning in her hand. "Well, my uncle was a master in Shuriken-jutsu. Even as a 4-year-old, my uncle saw I took interest weaponry as well- so he taught me. And ever since then, I've been training with him- secretly."

"But, why secretly?" Ty Lee wanted to know as well.

"Because of my father's political career." she stuck the blade back in her sleve. "Sure I'm an only rich child who gets anything I want, but I'm only allowed to speak when spoken to...I always have to sit quietly wherever we are...and my mother says I had to behave all the time." she didn't sound so thrilled saying this.

"That sounds hard," Zuko turned to her. "I know- coming from a prince it sounds a little shallow..."

"Well at least we get to goof off sometimes," Azula sat up. "Like...once a week." she smiled.

"Ya, but mom still has high expectations for me- she says I have a pretty big responsibility being a prince, and an older brother."

"Yes, and dad always expects _the_ best when I do everything, instead of _my _best." she looked over to her friends. "Because mom has favorites..."

"What?"

"Yup- I can tell, Zuko." she got serious once more. "I can tell she likes you better. She always has. Not because you're the first-born though, I really don't know why. All I know is dad likes me better; as well as mom likes you more."

"But, I-"

"Doesn't matter anyway, I can live like this." she ran her fingers through the cool water feeling jealousy deep in her heart. There was an awkward silence as they all just remeained in their positions for a while.

"Wow, we really learned a lot about eachother today!" Ty Lee beamed, then turned to Azula. "Now let's go practice those cartwheels." she said as they both stood up. Mai and Zuko remained under the shade just...talking.

"Hey, I have to go..." Zuko said as he got up. But before he was fully standing, he felt pain on his lower side. Clutching at where it hurt the most, he fell on his knees as Mai helped him.

"Are you okay?" she asked worried.

"I'm fine, really." he lied. "I think it was that guy with the swords..." he lifted his hand to see a thin, red strip on his palm- evidently coming from a gash under his clothes.

"No, you're not okay- you have to get inside and have a nurse take care of you." she gently helped him up.

"But-" he stopped her by refusing to stand up. "If I go in there, my mother will find out what happened."

"So you're just going to sit there in pain waiting to bleed to death?" she tried convincing him. His face fell.

"Well...if you put it that way, okay." she smiled helping him up- successfully this time. Once standing, he was still bent over a little with one arm around Mai's shoulder for support and his other arm across his body, hand covering up the gash.

"Azula!" she tried calling for help. The princess looked over their way. "Help?"

"Sorry, a little busy over here!" she attempted another handstand, but flopped down to the floor after about five seconds. She sat up angrily as Ty Lee giggled, explaining what she was doing wrong. Mai rolled her eyes and continued on into the building. After walking/limping through a hallway, they turned a corner and met up with Ursa.

"What happened?" she asked being the protective mother she is.

"Mom, can I explain later? It really hurts." he showed her his hand, now covered in more blood. She gasped looking at the scene.

"Okay, follow me- there's a clinic not far from here." she led them down a few more hallways and turns. It was actually harder than it sounds. Having to carry someone at least your weight- who was also limping to add on more weight...Finally, they got to a room that had 'clinic' written in Kanji letters. Carefully, Mai sat him down on the bed.

"Thanks," he smiled at her as the nurse approached him with bandages. She smiled back walking out the door with his mother.

"Yes, thank you very much, Mai." she led her back to the backyard to continue playing with Azula and Ty Lee.

* * *

I was supposed to post this chapter tomorrow, but I had it today and decided to put it up anyway. Wow, this chapter was long. And if I keep babbling here, it will get longer...so just look out for the next chapter!

And don't forget to...REVIEW! I need to know if the readers enjoy the story!

-Black5Belt


	8. The Announcement

Okay, moving on to chapter 7! Anyway...here it is.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Avatar, would I be writting stories for the show?  
**Spoilers: **Uh, no spoilers in this chapter.

Yep, it's that time again! Time for the kids to get a year older; Zuko- 8, Mai/Ty Lee/Azula- 7

* * *

Chapter 7: The Announcement

One long year has passed since the incident at the market when everyone was still a year younger. Ever since they found out, things have somewhat changed. Not any major changes though, just how everyone thought of each other.

And now, everyone was outside where they would normally spend their time. But instead of just sitting around, Mai and Zuko would have a short sparring match until Azula would decide to do something else.

"Wow," Azula looked from the bridge by the small river. "Look at them...they've been at it for 20 minutes now."

"I know." Ty Lee replied. "They're so cute!" she killed the seriousness.

Mai looked up to see he was charging at her prepared to tackle her to the ground. Instinctively, she jumped out of the way. Gracefully, Zuko spun around and stuck his foot out to kick her, when she ducked and tackled him to the floor instead.

"Aw man, that's like the fourth time you got me down." the firebender complained. She smiled proudly. Neither of them used weapons or firebending, so the game was to tackle your opponent to the ground. "You're really good..."

"Thanks," she said while trying to get up. But as she pushed herself up, her hand apparently slipped on the wet grass causing her to fall on top of him with no support this time. For a while, Mai just stayed there, frozen. Eventually getting over the embarrassment (partially), she stood up, holding her hand out for him to get up as well. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, really." he interrupted, causing them both to smile.

"Yup, that was really smooth." Azula quietly told Ty Lee.

"Aw, it was just an accident." she walked off the bridge with her back turned towards the scene. Suddenly, Ursa walked out of a building and gently shut the door behind her. Azula jerked her head her way, smiling.

"Hi mom!" she ran over to her. "Need help with anything?" she asked sweetly.

"Not right now, dear." she put her arm around her daughter. "Could you go get your brother for me? And come right back." she requested. Azula nodded and ran off. From afar, Ursa watched as she pulled her brother away from Mai as they both headed back her way.

"What is it, mom?" he asked.

"Okay, we got a letter from Uncle Iroh saying he's done with all the military work, for now. So we can all go to Ember Island again in two days!" she sounded excited, because it's like taking a vacation away from thoughts, stress, and war problems.

"Yay!" Azula clapped her hands together.

"Oh yes, and to make things even more fun, Ty Lee and Mai's parents are busy with the government stuff- so they can come with us." they looked back to see the two looking a bit bored. "If they want, of course."

"Okay, I'll go tell them right now." Azula ran towards them. "Hey, do you two want to come with us to Ember Island for a month?"

"What?" Ty Lee asked full of surprise and excitement.

"My uncle is temporarily finished with his military work, so we're heading to Ember Island for a month!" Azula had a huge smile on her face. "And you guys can come!" Ty Lee jumped up and down clearly signaling 'yes'.

"I don't know, Azula..." Mai responded not as eager as Ty Lee.

"Oh come on, Mai!" the cheery girl turned to her. "You get to spend a whole month on a peaceful island. Clearing your thoughts, stress, and problems. With me, Azula, the fire lord/fire lady...and Zuko." she said his name in that annoying singy-song voice. She turned her head, blushing at the thought.

"Alright." she smiled.

"Good." Azula ran back to her mother and brother. "They said they're coming!" she confirmed. Ursa smiled once more and left.

"Great..." Zuko started.

"Aw, don't be so negative." she crossed her arms. "It'll be fun with me, Ty Lee, _and Mai_." she watched as he turned away, blushing at the though of spending a month on a relaxing island with her.

"Well, we are leaving in two days." he headed for the door. "I'm gonna start packing."

* * *

So obviously, the setting for the next few chapters are going to be Ember Island. That'll be interesting...

-Black5Belt


	9. First Day on the Island

AW! School's almost starting! That means I'll be caught up in that jungle everyday for 7 hours...the AGONY! Oh well, I'll need it for college. And I'll still try my best with classes (school and martial arts), to finish this story.

**Disclaimer: **The only thing I own related to this story is my laptop...nothing more- nothing less.  
**Spoilers: **This chapter may have a few spoilers for The Beach.

Same ages; Zuko- 8, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee- 7

* * *

Chapter 8: First Day on the Island

The young prince stood at the edge of the ship feeling the nice, refreshing wind rush past his face. He hadn't been to Ember Island in two years. Normally, he and his family would visit there every summer, but last year was different. There was a lot of problems concerning the other nations, leading to very busy parents.

But now, those small tensions were resolved and everyone was ready for a nice vacation at the Fire Lord's beach house.

They were just about to take off for Ember Island. Everybody was already on board. Everybody but Iroh. Zuko was totally unaware of what was going on though, mostly because he was too drowned in his thoughts.

Suddenly, a man with grayish hair arrived. He was greeted with hugs, bows, and 'welcome back's'. "It is very nice to see all of you again," he looked at everyone.

"But where is my nephew, Zuko?" Azula pointed up the boat to him, with his back turned- still unaware. Iroh made his way up the steps. "What, your old uncle doesn't get a hello?" he asked causing Zuko to turn around.

"Uncle!" his arms flew open as he gave him a hug. Other than Ursa, Iroh was his only relative that really cared about him.

"I missed you too, Zuko." he said as the servants loaded his stuff on the ship as well as everyone else's. Once they were all on-board, the ship took off for the island.

For most of the trip, Zuko sat quietly and behaved with his mother while Azula and her friends would mess around and occasionally drag Zuko into their crazy games.

Hours later, the royal ship arrived on the island. From afar, they could see the clear blue waters that surrounded the sparkling gold sand. The nice, big houses all over the island stood on hills, and the beautiful green mountains painted a nice background for the island.

"Hello, and welcome back to Ember Island." two identical figures stood in front of them. They were Li and Lo.

Stepping off the boat, Azula breathed in the fresh island air. She watched as the servants took her stuff and headed for their house.

"Oh, this is so cool!" Ty Lee squealed.

"Have you ever been here before?" Azula asked once her friend was by her side.

"Once, I suppose." she answered. "But I was only 2 years old then." Suddenly, Mai was by their side as well.

"Okay, well let's go to the house- I'm tired." she pulled them along. The sun was near setting, and the chefs (that have come along) were already preparing their supper for later on.

--

Zuko lay flat on his face on his bed. He had just gotten to his room, and was pretty tired, so he decided to relax for a while before dinner. Suddenly, the door burst open revealing Azula.

"What are you doing here, Azula?" his muffled voice quickly asked her before she could even say anything.

"Like I want to be here..." her smile faded away. "Mom's making me stay in your room."

"What?" his head shot up in surprise. "You!...I!...But! Huh?"

"Calm down, spaz. It's either me or Mai- Ty Lee won't leave the room with the balcony." she thought for a moment, then realized an opportunity here. "On second thought, I also prefer the room with the balcony. I'll be right back..." Zuko sat up, curious at what she said.

"What?" he heard from across the hallway.

"Yes," another voice replied.

"Why?"

"Just...go."

"But-"

"No."

"I...ugh."

"Go."

"Stop touching me!"

"Then go!"

"Ow!" Azula came back with a pretty frustrated Mai and her stuff in hand. She set it by the bedside drawer, took her own bags, and bolted out the door.

Tension rose between the two as well as another awkward silence. Luckily, Iroh stepped into the room, saving them from embarrassment. "Dinner's ready you two." he informed them.

"Uh, sure, uncle." Zuko said thankfully.He then walked out the room followed by Mai. His uncle slowly shut the door and followed along as well.

* * *

Wow, I've gotten far. But it's no where near over...I'm planning on getting all the way to when they're like 16 and/or 17- and I'm pretty sure that's how old they were near the end of the series, and right now they're only like 7 and 8. So just...hang in there!

Also, I'm probably going to have about 3-5 chapters at Ember Island. If I go for more, the story will get really long...

-Black5Belt


	10. The Beach

Hi. Here. Chapter 9. Read. Enjoy. Bye...

**Disclaimer: **Avatar. PlayStation 3. What do those two things have in common? Right, I don't own them. -pouts-  
**Spoilers: **Nope. Still now spoilers here.

Of course, the ages are still the same.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Beach

Mai's eyes slowly fluttered open, having light golden rays shine on her eyes. The sun was evidently up, so there was no way she could fall back asleep now. She turned her head to see Zuko still sound asleep. Sitting up, threw her arms up, yawning.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a very excited Ty Lee in a short top and skirt. Obviously, they were going somewhere. "Rise and shine, you two love-birds!" she practically yelled. Mai quickly wiped the blush on her face, as Azula pushed her brother out of bed. He landed with a 'thud' on the carpeted floor.

"Why?" Mai yawned once more getting out of her bed.

"We're going to the beach!" the girl in pink explained happily. "So hurry up because we're going there in...now!" she set her hands on her hips, impatiently waiting for the two to get dressed.

"I haven't even eaten breakfast yet," the young prince complained turning around, still to lazy to get up.

"So? They have food at the beach, lazy-butt." Azula crossed her arms, still waiting.

"Now come on- let's go." Mai stood above him, holding her hand out to help him up. For a while, he just sat there staring at her. She had on a reddish-orange halter-top that stopped midway, and a skirt that wrapped around her waist and fell to her ankles. Eventually, he took her hand and stood up.

"Just hurry," Azula walked out the door- too impatient to wait any longer. Ty Lee flopped onto one of the beds, waiting for them.

"Why don't you go follow Azula?" Zuko asked as he carefully took off his shirt to change. Mai couldn't help but watch. Seeing the smirk on Ty Lee's face, she jerked her focus onto the floor, mentally slapping herself for that.

"Because I'd really rather wait for you guys," she traced the elegant pattern on the bed sheet with her fingers, bored. "Besides, if it really mattered that I go gollow her, she'd come back and get me..."

Zuko shrugged and fluffed his hair one more time before confirming he was finished and ready to leave.

--

The kids walked through the soft, golden sand beneath them. It felt calming and relaxing if you were barefoot. Once the family- and friends- finally found a nice place to stay, everyone set their stuff down and settled down.

Zuko sat down with his mother, not exactly willing to join his sister and her friends for...whatever, though Ursa would constantly nag him to.

"I'd really rather not, mom..." he insisted.

"Come on Zuko, just for a little while." the Fire Lady found the right spot to set her umbrella in the sand. "We're having lunch in a few hours, so you should at least get to play with them now."

"But they're all playing Kaui Ball...It's not exactly my type of sport." he watched as Mai gracefully flipped forward, kicking the ball and sending it crashing down to the other side- scoring a point.

"I used to love that sport," Ursa continued trying to convince him.

"Alright then," he stood up and dusted himself off.

Azula flipped backwards, kicking the ball, sending it up into the air for someone else on her team- which consisted of her, Mai, and Ty Lee- to hit it. Turning her head to her left, she saw her brother approaching.

"Hey look, it's Zuzu..." she smirked. Mai looked over to him, causing her to lose her focus on the game. Unaware of it, the Kaui ball landed quietly beside her. It wasn't until the cheering of the other team, for Azula to notice.

"Uh...sorry?" she shrugged.

"It's fine," she seemed pretty calm about it. At this time, Zuko was by her side. "We'll just play another game. But this time, we won't have someone on our team distracted, blankly gazing at my brother she thinks is so cute and has a _major_ crush on..."

Zuko listened to all of this, wondering who she was talking about in her non-stop rant. And as soon he glanced at Mai, he was pretty sure he saw her face turn a deep red color as she looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"Azula," he stopped her. "Can we just get on with the game?"

"Whatever," she gathered them together for a group 'plan'. "

"Ya sure, whatever," she gathered them together for a group 'plan'. "Now, see that girl over there in gold and red?" they all looked towards the girl Azula had just described. "There's just a slight hesitation on her right arm and leg. So as long as we keep hitting it to her right side, we'll be fine."

"Oookaaay," Ty Lee agreed. "But what about the others?" Azula looked over to the other team, examining them as another idea ran through her mind.

"Well, there's really nothing wrong with them. Except for the kid with the dark hair. He seems more on the offensive side." she explained. And with that, she threw the Kaui ball into the air. Just as it hit its highest point, her arm swiftly smacked it, sending it to the other side.

Just like she planned, the ball flew to the girl's right side as she completely missed.

"Yes!" Azula boasted to herself. This time, it was the opposite team's turn to serve. A boy, about their age, did the same as Azula, only her team didn't miss. Ty Lee simply ran up to the ball and right before it hit the ground, she got down a swept it- sending it into the air for anyone on her team to hit now.

Zuko took this as an opportunity and performed a jump kick on the ball having it crashing down to the other team's sandy floor. By this time, a bunch of teenagers and children were gathered around the court to watch the intense game played by little 7 and 8 year olds.

After minutes of playing, it was almost over. If Azula's team would score another point, they would win. Now with Mai as the server, she executed the standard serve- sending it to the other side. Another girl kicked it- only to be stopped at the net.

"Well, that was fun!" the little 7 year old, Ty Lee, turned to her team.

"Ya, but I think mom's calling us...for lunch." Azula looked over to the rest of her family sitting on a nice marronish blanket on the floor with food surrounding them. Iroh and Ozai were already ahead of everybody, with a bowl of food and chopsticks in either hand. Ursa was calling the kids to come eat, being the patient mother she is.

"I guess we're eating early then," Mai said as she walked that way. They'd get to play later...

* * *

Hello! I know there's not a lot of Maiko here...but there should be more in the following chappies ;D

-Black5Belt


	11. More Beach Trouble

Ugh...Now those darn plot bunnies leave me alone. Why now? Anyway, here's the next chapter. This will also probably be the last chapter in Ember Island, unless you guys can convince me otherwise ;D, and give me "suggestions". But just this once...

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar or its characters. Seriously, do I need these in every chapter?

Of course, the ages are still the same; Zuko- 8, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 7

* * *

Chapter 10: More Beach Trouble

Ty Lee slowly stood up and stretched. She had just finished eating lunch, along with everybody else. So now, Ursa and Zuko were left cleaning up. After all, Azula wasn't exactly the helping type.

"So, what do you want to do now?" the young princess turned to her two friends. Mai simply shrugged, telling her she didn't mind whatever she was going to have them do next. Ty Lee looked around to see if there was anything interesting to do.

"Can we go swimming?" she asked hopefully.

"But we just ate-"

"Yes we can swim." Azula interrupted. "It'll be fine, Mai." She said as they started walking towards the water. But just as they were almost there, a group of boys- about their age- approached them. Well mostly Ty Lee.

"Hi!" she greeted them.

"Hey," one of them replied.

"So you wanna come with us?" another one, this time a little taller and in Ty Lee's opinion- "cuter", asked, gesturing to a little area where there were more people. The girl looked back at Azula and Mai. Mai, of course, didn't exactly care whether she go spend (or waste...) time with those boys, and Azula had an approving, yet jealous look on her face.

"Sure." she replied turning back to them as they all walked off. Even from afar, you could see they were still arguing on who gets her first.

"What, jealous?" Mai smirked seeing the look on her friend's face.

"No," Azula refused to make eye contact. "I bet I could get a boy to like me easily." she boasted pretty confident.

"Really?"

"Yes, watch." she said as she approached a boy who looked just slightly older than the princess. Aggressively, she grabbed the innocent boy by the shirt and spoke in a somewhat demanding voice. "What's your name?"

"Uh, Ruon Jian..." he replied, sounding intimidated by her. Zuko had walked their direction, and was now standing by Mai- watching what his sister was to do with the boy.

"Okay Ruon Jian, I'm princess Azula. I'm pretty sure you know that." she smiled. "And you're going to like me or else."

"Or else...what?" he regretted asking, but he had to know.

"You'll have to figure that out." she threatened. Mai and Zuko couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Now, do you like me?"

"Y-yes?" he answered. She let go of his shirt, satisfied and instead took him by the hand and turned to her brother and friend.

"See?"

"Not like that, though..." Mai replied still trying not to laugh.

"Um, sorry about that. You just...go on." Zuko told the boy as he separated his hand from his little sister's. "While you still can..." he added in a whisper. Ruon Jian smiled weakly and ran. Ran as if his life depended on it. This just caused Mai to burst into more laughter. Azula shot her a glare that caused her to look away.

"Like you can do better," she crossed her arms, a little disappointed. As if on cue, another boy came up to them.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked looking especially at Mai.

"Um, not much." She was pretty sure the boy was hitting on her. And being in a political family, she highly doubted her parents would approve of her being with this guy. Not to mention her age. She turned around to see the surprised expression on Azula's face, and an unrecognizable look from Zuko.

"What do you want?" Zuko glared at him, unaware of it.

"Nothing," he shot back. Then turned to Mai. "So, you wanna go hang out?" If possible, Azula looked even more surprised, and Zuko looked angrily at the boy.

"You know, I'd love to," Mai replied, smirking. Playing with Azula and Zuko's emotions was pretty fun. "But I can't. It's complicated." Azula noticed how Zuko's face lit up after she said this.

"Alright, that's cool." he shrugged and left. As soon as he was gone, she turned to Azula and waited for her to say something. She still had her arms crossed, and a few moments passed before she could find the right words to say. She opened her mouth to say something, but Mai interrupted.

"You just come on a little too strong," she explained.

"Whatever..." she simply walked away.

"So..." Zuko tried starting a conversation. Mai smiled and pulled him off to go somewhere else.

To make the long story short, the rest of the time spent at the beach- which was a fair amount of time- was fun. Even Mai thought so, which means it couldn't have been boring. Ty Lee had stayed at the "party" they had, Azula had stayed pretty quiet with Ty Lee still trying to prove herself. Mai and Zuko on the other hand, were just sitting in the shade- together- occasionally getting up when told.

Of course there was much more to do, but they still had about four weeks on the island. Which means four more weeks of adventure, pranks, and romance...

* * *

Yay! Chapter 10! Tell me what you think!

Oh yes, and I almost forgot to mention...a little thanks to avatarfreak3, for helping me with my story. So yeah, a little shout out to me betareader! Anyway, don't forget to REVIEW!

-Black5Belt


	12. Back Home

-Gasp!- The last chapter on Ember Island! I was conviced to write ONE more chappie on the island. Also, my cousin (GirlyGirl29) is writting a Mai/Zuko story. It won't be as long as mine, but it is really good. So if you get the chance, check it out! It's called 'Which Will it Be?'. You'll have to see it to get the full summary. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar. Yes I'm sure.

Ages are still the same, but will change next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 11: Back Home

Wow. Time really flies by fast- Or so the children thought. It has already been a good five weeks, or one month. It was really memorable though. Azula had much fun torturing Zuko, but strangely, that brought him and Mai closer. She shuddered at the thought every time Iroh would mention it. The princess also enjoyed days at the beach, just enjoying the nice fresh air she didn't normally get.

Ty Lee would always bee seen with boys- her age. Sure she was a little young to be hanging out with them, but she enjoyed their company with Mai and Zuko always together, and Azula sometimes being alone. Unless of course, she was with Ty Lee and those boys. She was surprised her father even let her.

Of course, Mai had enjoyed the whole time at Ember Island. She rarely had any fun with her family- always being politically involved considering her father's carrer. She also found it fun spending all that time with her best friend's brother.

The two would normally be seen together really just enjoying each other's company- often by taking walks by the shore. Azula's suspicion from a couple years back is now certain. She had even told Ty Lee about it, deviously planning to embarrass them again.

But now, all that was almost over. They were now all standing on the docks, looking back at the island for the last time. Well, at least Ty Lee and Mai were. Unlike Azula and Zuko, they didn't visit the island every year, so this will probably be the last time they'd be here with the royal family.

"Gonna miss the place?" Zuko stood beside Mai.

"Yup- I'll probably never come here again," she looked around for the last time. "But at least I had fun."

"Really?" he asked, smiling.

"Ya, with you." she added, blushing. He returned her gaze, his normally light skin a bright scarlet color. The moment though, was ruined by Azula walking into the scene.

"Are you two done flirting? Dad says it's time to go." Ugh. She always had to kill the moment. They were kind of used to this though. The nice "friendly" conversations, awkward silence, then Azula coming in. Sighing, Mai stepped onto the boat followed by Zuko, then Azula.

The rest of the 6-hour trip back home was pretty quiet and uninteresting. Apparently, Azula was tired- and she's the one who makes things interesting. Surprisingly, Ty Lee was also exhausted, and she's the one who doesn't keep things quiet.

After hours of only seeing water when you look out, the ship finally reached their home.

"Zuko, can you go wake up your little sister and her friends?" Ursa asked her eldest son. "They're in that room in the boat." she instructed.

"Sure," he responded before getting into the boat once again. Making his way down the hallway, he finally found the room he was looking for. He slowly opened the door, to find them all fast asleep.

He stealthily walked over to Azula and shoved her off the bed. She let out a shriek before landing on the carpeted floor. Ah, payback. "What was that?" she jerked her head up and sent him a poisonous glare.

"Payback." he quickly explained. "Now get up, we're home." Ty Lee lazily sat up and stretched, yawning.

"Dumb-dumb." she insulted. Zuko smirked at his sister, who really had no comeback at the moment. "What are you still doing here?"

"She told me to wait for you," he defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. "Like I wanted to..." Her face fell for the second time she couldn't say anything back.

"Where's Mai?" he asked noticing she wasn't in the room. Coincidentally, the little girl stepped into the room.

"Right there." Ty Lee answered.

"Huh?"

"Uh- Nothing," he quickly covered. "So, what did you need?"

"Umm..." she uncomfortably looked over to Azula, who simply rolled her eyes. She then looked at Ty Lee who smiled, and turned away. "Come on, I want to show you something." she happily pulled Zuko with her.

"Should we go follow?" Ty Lee asked, assuming Azula would have anyway.

"No, we should let them have their privacy now." Ty Lee tilted her head in confusion. "Maybe next time..." she headed out the door.

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked as Mai took him around the palace.

"Well, I was just looking around, when I found..." They went through one more building and out a door. As soon as they got outside, Mai looked around, while Zuko stood there amazed. "...This."

It was an outdoor little area, much like the courtyard they always play in, only it was even more beautiful- not to mention much larger in size. The northern wall had a flowing fountain that flowed into a small river, which was connected to a small, clear blue pond.

All in all, it was a beautiful place.

"Wow..." was Zuko's only comment as the two looked around.

"You haven't seen this place yet?" she asked, surprised.

"Well...no." he answered. "I'ven never been here before, mostly because my dad tells me to stay in one spot most of the time. While Azula gets to do whatever she wants." he replied.

"Oh." she felt the same way. "I see."

"Mai!" they both heard a distant yelling. The voice was easily recognized as Azula's. "Your mom is here!"

"Ya, I have to go." she pointed out.

"Okay- see you...next time, I guess." She smiled softly and he watched as she left the scene.

* * *

Ya, that's the next chapter. A big THANKS to xlilyunyun for the idea! I almost went blank ;)

-Black5Belt


	13. Busted

Yay! Another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews, everybody. They're my motivation ;). Anyway, here's where they get busted...by Azula (duh- who else :P).

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar. Wouldn't it be a lot easier if I told you when I did own it?

Ages are FINALLY changed. Zuko- 9, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 8.

* * *

Chapter 12: Busted...

As usual, Mai and Ty Lee would be at the royal palace at least once a week or so due to political problems. Fortunately, the kids are a bit young to be worried about that stuff. Now, they were all in Azula's room. The silence killed them, even thought they really had nothing to say.

"Um...I'll be right back..." Mai excused herself, and was about to head for the door when-

"Where are you going?" Azula calmly asked before she could leave.

"To the...um- bathroom. Ya, the bathroom!" she stammered, uncomfortably. It wasn't easy thinking of an excuse when facing Azula. "I uh...really have to go." she quickly bolted out the door. Azula raised an eyebrow, turning to Ty Lee- who was sitting on the floor.

"Come on," she stood up and pulled Ty Lee with her. They carefully stalked the hallways, staying approximately ten feet away from Mai. Soon enough, she stopped at a door and quietly made her way outside, cautiously shutting the door.

Azula and Ty Lee on the other hand, had followed her this far as well. They opened the door only a few inches wide and watched whatever was going on outside. Then Azula noticed her brother was outside too.

Mai walked up to the prince and casually greeted him. He looked over to her and, from Azula and Ty Lee's point of view, started talking to her. She smiled back, happily. Mai was not normally like this when she was with them. Ty Lee smiled as she watched the whole thing, while Azula had a frown on her face.

"Aw, they're so cute together!" Ty Lee quietly squealed.

"You're kidding, right? They sicken me..." Azula looked over to her friend. "I knew it. No wonder she's been acting weird lately..."

"So-"

"Now all we have to do is tell my dad." she stated, smirking.

"But, why not-"

"Because, Ty Lee..." Azula explained deviously. "If we tell my mom, she'll just let them go easily. But if we tell my dad..." she stopped there, seeing Ty Lee had already caught on.

"And-"

"But before we go rat them out, I have a question..." she walked out the door, leaving Ty Lee still confused. But she soon followed. Mai and Zuko were now sitting in front of the pond, as Azula heard more chattering and laughing.

"Ahem," she coldly interrupted the two. Turning around, Zuko's eyes went wide. "So...what are you two doing here?" she sounded as if she couldn't care less.

"Why does it matter to you?" her brother shot back.

"Actually, it doesn't." she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But it will be your problem once I tell." Zuko glared at her, angrily. She was good.

"Azula-"

"Be quiet, Mai." she snapped. "Traitor! However, I don't blame you for doing this, as I blame myself for not anticipating it..." she looked angrily at the grassy floor beneath her.

"What makes you think we'll get in tro- you're telling dad, aren't you?" he asked, sounding a little intimidated. She nodded, smirking. The young prince sighed as his sister started talking again.

"Now I just don't understand why. Why would you do this?" she asked darkly.

"You little-"

"Now you two come with us," she gestured for them to follow her. "I'm sure he'll want you there when he finds out what you did..."

--

"So, what you're saying is your little friend and Zuko have supposedly...'betrayed' you?" Ozai questioned his younger daughter. She was standing right in front of him with Ty Lee, Zuko and Mai knelt down behind her.

"Yes, father..." she quietly said as she nodded her head. "I've tried being nice to them, but they had to run off and try to "avoid" me. I just don't get it!" the princess looked up at the Fire Lord, with a thin line of "fake" tears streaming down both eyes.

"Okay..." he was now thinking. "Thank you, Azula." She bowed in respect and walked back, smiling evilly towards her brother.

"Now Zuko, is this true?" he turned to his eldest son. He kept quiet though. Not wanting to admit _anything_. Sure it was true, but the way Azula put it, it just took it way out of context. They had betrayed her- but she didn't seem so hurt, and barely cared. They had run off- but it's not like they did it on purpose. And yes, they did try to avoid her- but then again, she was bossy, pushy, and mean most of the time.

It's been a good five seconds since Ozai had asked him the question. Silence flooded the room, as Ozai asked him once again.

"Answer the question, Zuko." He hated this. If he said 'yes', he'd for sure punish both of them. But if he said 'no'...it was all Azula. She was 'daddy's little girl', and surely he'd always side with her.

"Y-yes," he choked out. Glancing over to Mai, he felt guilty- the consequence still unknown.

"Well then," Of course. They all expected what he'd say next. "Zuko, I forbid you to see this girl _ever _again." his harsh words echoed through the large room. Azula smiled, satisfied.

"But-"

"Silence!" he roared. "You heard what I said. You may never see her again...now you all are dismissed." They all stood at once as Ty Lee and Azula ran off back to the backyard.

At this time, Ursa was about to take her son back to his room. Mai looked up to him, her eyes filled with sadness as she silently wrapped her arms around the prince's neck, knowing she would never see him again. Who knows what could happen to her, or her family, if she disobeyed the Fire Lord's commands.

So this was it. All those years the Fire Lord's son and the governor's daughter had been friends. Close friends, actually- possibly more. But now that was over. Slowly, his arms found their way around her waist- but soon enough, she pulled away. Before he could say anything else, she already proceeded out the door.

"I'm sorry," Ursa gently set her arm around her son's shoulder as she pulled him out the door.

Great. Just great. The only way they could ever see each other again was if Azula said- or did- something about it. And we all know that's never going to happen...

* * *

Wow. This chapter was pretty fun to write. BTW, how old was Zuko when Ursa was banished? A giant, tasty, chocolate chip, sweet, sugary, caramel covered cookie to whoever answers the question! Thanks!

-Black5Belt


	14. Plans

Hey guess what? I'm gonna skip this babbling part so we can get on with the story! ;)

**Disclaimer: **Avatar. Not mine.

Ages are the same again. Zuko- 9, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 8.

* * *

Chapter 13: Plans

One week. It's only been a week, and they've noticed a change in Mai's attitude. Every time they'd play their games, she'd simply tell them she didn't want to. Every time they would just talk, the little girl would remain quiet. Now normally, she was quiet, but this was just different.

"Azula, Mai is..." Ty Lee's little voice trailed off.

"I know." she watched as the little girl ran a line in the water next to her with a finger. She obviously looked upset. "I thought it would be better if Zuko was never with her anymore."

"And it's not?" she asked. Azula shook her head. Clearly now she was thinking.

"But we can fix this!" she piped up. "There's a play at school, right?" Ty Lee nodded.

"How will that help, though?" she titled her head to the side, like a confused puppy when scolded.

"Easy. We get them to play the lead roles." Azula stepped off the bridge that lay across the small river. "And...change the script a little." she added.

"Clever..." Ty Lee complimented. "But, what about you dad? Isn't he going to be at the play?"

"Oh yeah," Surely Ozai would get pretty upset. "I'll just explain it was my fault. He always believes me." she smiled. Being daddy's little girl really did have its benefits. "But remember- we can't tell them about this." she reminded her.

--

"Ugh!" Ty Lee groaned in her chair. The fourth grade was so boring- at least to someone who isn't used to boredoem and silence for more than half an hour. She laid her chin on her hand once more, signaling boredeom had almost fully taken over her. If they were signing up for the play, it was nessecary they stay after class. That would really add more time.

"Relax, Ty Lee!" Azula comanded. "You'll get in trouble if you keep moving around. Bsides, we only have a few more minutes before class is over." the young acrobat rolled her eyes and continued waiting.

Mai on the other hand, crossed her arms on her desk, and lazily lay her head on it. By Ozai's orders, Zuko was also moved to another class. Sometimes, she just felt like yelling at the guy.

"Alright. Class is dismissed!" Mr. Zhao announced. It was about time. The two waited until everyone left before approaching the teacher.

"Um, Mr. Zhao,"

"Yes, princess Azula?" he turned around. "What did you need?"

"It's about that play they're having in a few days." she innocently informed him. "My brother and I wanted to have the lead roles." she went straight to the point. The man was a bit taken back at what she said though, because out of all the people. Azula? In a play? With a bit of romance between the two lead roles?

"Are you sure?"

"Um, yes." she confirmed. "My mom says it's important that I get involoved in these kind of things." she lied. At least it sounded more believable than Mai or Ty Lee when they tell her false information.

"Okay then..." he agreed as he started writting on the paper with the words 'Play Roles' written on the top. He clearly wrote the names Azula and Zuko at the top. Ty Lee pulled her friend away from the bigger desk.

"What? Why you and Zuko?" she asked still confused.

"Ty Lee..." she slapped her forehead in frustration. "What do you think Mr. Zhao would say if I said, 'Mai and Zuko want the lead roles'?" Ty Lee looked at the floor for a moment, then let all her thoughts out with a simple 'oh'.

"Okay. Thanks Mr. Zhao." Azula said as she happily walked out the door.

"Now what?" Ty Lee asked as they made their way through the busy hallways.

"Just wait." After a few more turns around corners, they reached the large stage area where the play was supposed to be held. It was a large outdoor complex, covered with shade and completely decorated for the first act.

Spotting the original copy of the script, Ty Lee. walked past the table, grabbing the stack of papers subtly and brought it back to Azula. The princess toook out a black ink pen and started making the "improvements" she planned. She quickly skimmed the first few pages- only to find the interesting parts in the last act.

_Final Act _

_Lead Role (Female): I've missed you_

_Lead Role (Male): I've missed you too_

_Both lead Roles hug..._

Azula carefully scratched out the words 'missed' and with her neatest handwritting wrote the words 'love' in the spots. She did the same with 'hug', only she replaced it with 'kiss'. She was sure this was anough to get her dad to say something. The princess placed the script back where they had found it and strotted over to where her friend stood.

"Okay, we're done here." she stated. Ty Lee happily nodded as they headed for the door to get home.

* * *

Heh...yeah, this one's pretty short. But it's basically Azula with her plan to get Mai and Zuko together once more. Next chapter will be the play-thingy. Oh yeah, and another thanks, this time to hpswst101! I thought it really fit in with the story so far.

This is also the last chapter before the dreaded school starts for me. Which means I may take a little longer to update and stuff. But I'll still keep it going.

-Black5Belt


	15. The Play

Hey guess what? First day of school was TWO days ago! Yeah, I didn't mean that in a good way ;). Anyway, I'm not gonna dump my problems here :D. Here's the next chapter! And yes, the very first Maiko kiss is in this chapter. Aw! And they're still kids!

**Disclaimer: **Do I own Avatar? Don't answer that...Do I own a PS3? No, don't answer that either... :P

Obviously the ages are still the same...Zuko- 9, Girls- 8

* * *

Chapter 14: The Play

"Okay, so is Mai backstage?" Azula asked Ty Lee. The play was to start in three hours. And three hours can be a short time- if you're in the kids' situation.

"Yup." Ty Lee confirmed. They turned around to see everyone was in position, rehearsing for the last time before the play actually started. Azula was even in her noble woman's costume, on the center-stage.

"Azula!" Zuko approached his sister, apparently disturbed somehow. "What were you thinking?!"

"What do you want now?" she sighed.

"You signed both of us up for the lead roles." he complained. "And there's a KISSING scene in the ending!"

"Yeah, I know." she replied.

"I don't want to kiss _you_!" he practically yelled. "I don't know what sick ideas are going on in your mind, but I can name a thousand reasons why I wouldn't want to-"

"Well you wont be," she interrupted his endless rant.

"Huh?"

"You'll be kissing someone else." she smiled.

"And that is?"

"Mai," For a moment, Zuko stayed silent as mixed emotions flooded his mind. One of them suspicion. Was she trying to get him in trouble with their dad? First it was to get Mai away from him, now it was to get them both busted for the second time. The other emotion was happiness. He had read and reread the script several times, and the ending had them confess their LOVE for each other and have them kiss.

"I'll just...shut up now."

"Good." she smiled. "Now all I have to do is make an excuse to get out of here..." she said as she looking around, thinking. From at least five feet away, Azula spotted a metal rod on the floor. Smirking, she quickly ran over to it, and sat down with a shriek. Soon enough, teachers and students gathered around the "injured"girl. Ty Lee giggled at everyone's reaction.

"Azula, what happened?" the teacher asked, concerned.

"I tripped over that rod." she whined. "And now my knee _really_hurts." Zuko raised an eyebrow at his sister's believable fake-ness.

"Oh, I see..." the woman carefully examined the leg. "It doesn't look damaged." she analyzed. Azula froze for a moment, thinking. Slowly, her teacher bent the leg to see if it hurt or not. At some point, the girl let out another shriek indicating pain.

"That...hurt." she gulped. "I don't think I can be in the play tonight- I can barely stand up without any help."

"But it starts in three hours! Where are we going to find another lead role?"

"Um, what about...Mai?" she asked hopefully. From afar, Mai's expression was confused. Being part of the crew also meant previewing the script before showtime, and she had seen the final act.

"But by the Fire Lord's orders, she is not allowed to interact with your brother anymore." the woman replied. "And according to Mr. Zhao, he's one of the lead roles." Azula frowned at this.

"Just this once," Azula pleaded. "I _promise _I won't tell my father."

"Okay, I suppose so." Azula's face lit up, hearing this. "Now, do you need anything for your leg?"

"Oh, well maybe Ty Lee can just come with me to the nurse." she smiled, innocently, looking as if it still hurt pretty bad. "I'll just be with my parents tonight watching the play." she said as she stood up, with the help of Ty Lee. Smiling once more, their teacher walked away for the rest of the preparation.

"Wow..." Zuko was left somewhat speechless.

"I know," Azula gave her brother the 'yes-I-know-I'm-better-than-you' look as she limped off to the nurse followed by her friend.

--

Five minutes before the final act. Five minutes before the anticipated scene. And five minutes before Zuko and Mai would be involved with a little lip-action. Nervous, the prince paced the stage behind the curtains. Until he nearly ran into Mai.

"Uh, hi." he said, uncomfortably.

"Hey..." she replied.

"So...you know, the next act..."

"Yup, and the...kiss?" she asked, sure he was going to bring that up anyway.

"Ya."

Silence.

"Don't worry, it won't be that bad." she assured. "I've kissed other boys before." she added.

"You have?!" he was clearly shocked at this. Evidently, he wasn't very good at hiding emotions. She laughed at his reaction.

"No, I was just kidding." she admitted, still laughing."But still, I've seen my parents do it all the time. They make it look...interesting." she smiled. Now this kind of made Zuko feel better. Even just the slightest bit. As long as he was with her, everything would turn out fine. Right?

"Prince Zuko, Mai!" the stage-helper called. "It's time for the final act." Once again, nervous and anxiety struck the two as they prepared to get on stage.

Just outside, Ozai, Ursa, and Azula were all seated in the front row. It was actually surprising that Ozai and Azula could sit through the whole thing so far. Like father, like daughter...But it was almost over anyway, as Zuko and Mai stood on the stage.

"Wait, I thought I forbid Zuko to ever see-"

"It's okay," Ursa assured him. "Just wait."

The final act was nearly over, and with every second, the Fire Lord's son and the governor's daughter were even more nervous than ever. Supposedly, according to the script, the two were reunited at this time.

Awkwardly, Zuko said his line. He felt his face flush once he was done.

Mai simply replied, saying the same thing- with the same reaction. If only they knew they both meant what they had said. And with that, he let his arms fall down to her small waist as his lips came crashing down to hers. She enjoyed the feeling, though.

Shocked, Ozai tried standing up, only to be stopped by his wife.

"It's fine." she smiled. "Just talk to them later." Apparently, she was enjoying every moment of this, as well as Azula was.

It wasn't a very long, french kiss, but it was enough for both of them. Just as he pulled away, the curtains started to close as the audience clapped loudly along with screaming from proud parents and siblings.

"See? Now was that so bad?" she teased, smiling as she saw a blush creep up his cheeks. Just then, Ozai came up to them, along with the rest of his family.

"Zuko!" his voice lashed throughout the stage. Yup- he was angry. "I thought I said-"

"No, dad." Azula interrupted. "It was my fault."she confessed, unwilling to make eye contact, even though the Fire Lord was staring down at his daughter. "The whole thing was...my idea to get them together."

"After what you had told me?"

"Yes. It just wasn't fair seeing my brother and my best friend like that." she looked up to see he was obviously believing what she was saying.

"Are you sure?" he added.

"Okay, it wasn't fair seeing my best friend like that." she took out the mentioning Zuko part. "But please, take back what you said." Please? In Azula's whole life, she never begged for anything.

"Azula, I never take back what I say- and you know that." he replied, firmly. "But I suppose just this once." Azula looked up as she smiled.

"Thanks, dad." Zuko said thankfully.

"Now let's all go home." Ursa suggested, taking both her children in her arms.

* * *

So sweet! Or not...depends what gets you to really say "Awww!". Remember, Review! That purple-ish, blue-ish button is waiting to be pressed, and your keyboard is waiting to be typed on!

-Black5Belt


	16. Where's Mom?

Hello people of earth who have computers, Internet and access to this site! I have the next chapter! BTW, last chapter's scene has a "matching picture" with it. If you want to see it, tell me in a review and I'll reply with a link. The title's pretty self-explanatory.

Now with that out of the way, I DON'T OWN AVATAR! Yeah, just wanted to do that another way.

Ages are one year older; Zuko- 10, Mai andTy Lee- 9, Azula- 8 ('till next chapter)

* * *

Chapter 15: Where's Mom?

It's been exactly a year since the play at Fire Nation Elementary. But ever since Zuko had kissed Mai- or Mai kissed Zuko, either way they had both somewhat enjoyed it- neither of them had brought it up, or mentioned it. At all. Even Azula and Ty Lee would either avoid the subject, or pretend it never even happened. This sort of eased the tension.

So that was it. It "never happened". Although every time they were together, they couldn't help but at least remember the feeling

Now it was almost midnight, and yet nobody was really asleep in the royal palace. Azula was up doing whatever it is she does at this time in her room, Ursa and Ozai were apparently up as well, and this is what was keeping Zuko wide awake.

From his room he could hear talking. The first one was his father's loud, controlling voice echoing throughout the hallways. The second one sounded like his mother trying to get Ozai to be quieter. Well, it worked- because now those voices were slightly softer. Curious, Zuko stood up from his bed and lightly pressed his ear to the huge oak double-door to hear clearer.

Nope. That did no good. From there, all he heard were barely whispers from that distance. Frustrated, he walked back to his bed and plopped down, tired- it had been a long day. After hearing a few more words, he fell asleep.

--

Morning.

Zuko slowly opened his eyes, unwillingly, to see he was surrounded by the comfort of his own room. But something didn't feel right. Getting up, he ran out the door- still in his pajamas- trying to figure out what was wrong. As he made his way through the dark hallways, his mind was racing. Then it hit him. No- not literally, but he knew.

Ursa.

Quickly, he changed course and headed for his mother's room. Eventually after numerous turns in the hallways, he now stood in front of a pair of doors similar to his. Taking a deep breath in, he pushed the doors open. They slowly creaked open as he looked around.

Much to his dismay- but not to his surprise, nothing was there. Nope. Nothing. Literally. All that was left in the room was a large queen-sized bed that stood in the middle of the room, and a mirror wall on one side.

But it wasn't right- this wasn't what the room normally looks like. All of the princess' stuff was gone. All her clothes, accessories, anything else she owned. It wasn't there. Shocked, Zuko sat down on the bed, still denying it.

Maybe she just switched rooms. Frantically, the young prince bolted out the door.

"Mom?!" he yelled, his little 10-year-old voice echoing through the palace's corridors. "MOM!" he tried again, still running. Soon enough, his short legs couldn't run any father. Exhausted, he collapsed on his knees somewhere in the northern buildings.

"So, whatcha doing?" a small feminine voice sounded from above him. He looked up to see his sister looking back down at his with her hands set on her hips, not even a hint of worry or hurt in her facial features.

"Where's mom?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know," she shrugged. Zuko was sure she was just teasing now. "I think she was...banished?" a small smile appeared on her lips. Zuko frowned at this.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"You heard me. She was banished." the girl repeated, smirking. Zuko looked back down to the floor, still breathing heavy from all those flights of stairs and endless hallways. "Now get up, get over it, and get out of here." she ordered.

"Why?"

"Because Mai and Ty Lee are here, and we don't want you around." she explained. "Well at least I don't..."

"Whatever," he shot back, apparently ticked off at everything she just said. Right then, Mai walked through the front door and approached the two.

"Azula, Ty Lee's stuck in the tree again..." she told her friend. "Only this time it was my fault." she put her hands up, afraid Azula would think she was blaming her for Ty Lee's problem.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Uh...help?" Mai suggested. Azula rolled her eyes and ran out the door. Mai looked over to her right to see the the deeply troubled prince. "What's wrong?" she asked. This snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" he replied. "Oh, nothing...have you seem my mom?" For a moment she thought he'd changed the subject.

"No," she answered.

"Azula said she was banished..." he looked away as a tear slowly ran down his cheek. "Last night I heard my parents talking- well, yelling. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I was really tired so I fell asleep anyway."

"Oh," she felt really bad for him, knowing his mother was one of the only people he could turn to.

"And this morning, I couldn't find her." he continued. "Azula just told me she was banished."

"Well you know...I'm still here for you," she said sincerely. Apparently, this was good enough for him. He turned to face her, a small smile on his face as his arms went from his side to around her mid-section.

"Thanks," Mai could feel her cheeks heat up, clearly meaning she was now blushing. He pulled away once Azula had walked into the scene. She paused for a moment before asked them the most random question.

"Do either of you have a bat?"

"Why a bat?" Mai asked, surprised.

Suddenly, they heard yell followed by a loud splash. The three remained quiet and motionless until a soaking wet, leaf/dirt-covered Ty Lee stomped into the scene. Zuko couldn't help but laugh at this. "This isn't funny!" she complained, getting him to stop laughing and look away.

"It's pretty funny from here..." Azula comented seeing that her hair was disheveled as well as her clothes were dripping with wet leaves. Ty Lee frowned/pouted as Mai escorted her out the door they had both came in.

Without another word, Zuko walked off leaving his sister to go outside with her friends. Now with Ursa gone, who knows what kind of trouble Zuko could be getting into all the time. Right now, Mai was the only person keeping him from running away, and/or jumping off a cliff...

* * *

Yeah, I'd have to admit that last line is a bit depressing ;). Well, 15+ chapters to go! Better get working! -starts typing furiously on laptop before school starts- BTW, got any more ideas for a writter? Next chapter will be Azula's birthday and stuff. That'll be interesting...

-Black5Belt


	17. Azula's Birthday

Alright, here's the next chappie! Now, on with the story ;). Azula's birthday...and you know her- she's got a devious plan with anything she does... :O

**Disclamier: **I don't own Avatar. And now that you know that, I'm gonna stop putting these up. Nobody ever reads them anyway...

Ages are...somewhat changed; Zuko- 10, Mai/Ty Lee/now Azula- 9

* * *

Chapter 16: Azula's Brithday

Yup, today was a pretty "special" day. For Azula, at least, because today she's no longer an annoying 8 year old, but is now an annoying 9 year old. Personally, Zuko didn't see much of a difference. Either way, she's still Azula.

Now the two siblings were sitting in separate thrones, waiting for more guests to attend. Azula sat straight, confident and happy it was her birthday today- while Zuko slouched in his seat with his chin rested on his hand. Yeah, he was bored. And he knew nothing could change that.

"How much longer?" he impatiently turned to his sister.

"Dad said until midnight." she bragged. "I am a princess, and their birthday parties aren't _cheap_." Letting out another uninterested sigh, he slouched even lower in his throne. He stayed like this until something else caught his attention.

From the main entrance walked in Ty Lee, wearing some formal pink dress with a red ribbon around her mid-section. Azula had rushed over to her friend to greet her. She was followed by Mai. She was wearing a traditional red/marron-ish dress and her hair was simply put into a long single ponytail that ended around her shoulders.

"So, who are you looking at?" he heard a gentle voice beside him. He looked up to see it was his uncle.

"Uh, n-nobody." he lied.

"Oh really?" Iroh asked, now trying to get him to admit. Zuko nodded his head. "Alright then, have fun." he started walking away.

"Okay!" he gave in. Iroh smiled, now listening to everything his nephew was to say. "One of Azula's friends."

"The pink one?"

"Ew, no." he looked back to Ty Lee who was happily in her Ty Lee World with Azula. "She's too..." he stopped there, unable to find the right words to describe his sister's bubbly friend.

"Girly?" he suggested. Zuko nodded his head once again.

"The...other one." he looked away, hiding his reddened cheeks. "I mean, she's nice, fun to talk to and be around, and she's nothing like Azula or Ty Lee."

"So I'm getting a sense here you...like her? As in like her-like her?" the old man smirked.

"What?!" he acted surprised. "No! Psh...psh, no...pff...psh. She's just my friend."

"M-hm." he supposedly agreed. "That's a shame- because I heard she likes you. As in likes you-likes you." And with that, the general had walked off to do something else. Zuko had really put that last sentence to thought. She liked him? Like that?

It wasn't much of a surprise to anyone but them two. They've just been oblivious.

To his surprise, he looked up to see she was walking towards him. He quickly straightened up from his previous position as she stood by him.

"Hi," she greeted. "Azula said she wanted to talk to Ty Lee 'in private', so we all left." she looked over to the two friends talking to each other as the rest of the children their age were scattered around everywhere.

"I bet they're planning something again," he shrugged. "You know, like she always does..."

"Yeah, probably." she smiled. "So, what do you want to do?" she changed the subject. The prince shrugged, honestly unwilling to get out of this position until it was time to go. Which was really just upstairs.

"Hey Mai," Azula had approached them. "Zuzu..." she used the name he hated being called.

"What do you want?"

"Dad says since you're the prince, you have to go dance with those girls," she pointed over to a group of girls, about his age all standing together.

"Are you serious?!" he whined.

"Yup," she smiled. "Now go." He carefully stepped down, muttering a few things under his breath, as he made his way to those girls and his father. One by one, the girls took their turn with Zuko- as Azula and Mai watched from a distance.

Mai crossed her arms as she watched the prince actually talking to one of them. Now her facial expressions were clearly saying, 'I really hate this'.

"What's the matter, jealous?" Azula asked, seeing the look on her face. Mai quickly snapped out of her thoughts and jerked her head over to the princess.

"Umm..." she didn't want to lie- but it was obvious she'd be teased if she said yes.

"I'll take that as a yes," she smiled. "So go over there."

"And do what, exactly?"

"Just go- then my dad will surely make him dance with _you_," she suggested. "But first..." Azula quickly took her hair-tie off, having her long jet-black hair fall down just below her shoulders. Afterwards, she took off the girl's sweater leaving her spaghetti-strap dress.

"There, now go." she pushed her off in her brother's direction. Mai staggered a few steps from that shove- but regained her balance at least a few feet away from Zuko. His arms reflexively went back to his sides at the sight of her. The girl he was previously with walked away in respect.

"Uh, hi..." she felt her cheeks burning as he stood there gawking at her. Her eyes shy and uncomfortable, her silky hair flowing down mid-length. It really complimented the nice dress she wore that fell just below her feet. "Azula said..."

"Oh," Well, anyone would immediately get it if they started with 'Azula said/thought/made me'. "You look...beautiful..." he struggled finding the right words- but this had them both blushing furiously.

"Thanks," she smiled. Zuko shifted his gaze over to his father, who had a familiar look on his face.

"I think he wants us to dance- not just...stand here." she had a hopeful smile. Mai glanced over to Ozai who had his arms crossed. Turning back to his son, she smiled.

"I don't mind," she said as their arms found their way around each other.

"AW! They're so cute together!" Ty Lee squealed clapping her hands below her chin. She and Azula were watching from afar.

"Yup..." the princess smirked. "It's a shame they'll probably "forget" this ever happened the next day."

"Hm?"

"If you ask them tomorrow, they'll probably pretend it never happened and move on with their lives." Azula explained. "I'd know- the play a year ago..." she remembered having that smirk grow on her face.

"Oh yeah," Ty Lee laughed.

"Well, my party's almost over- let's go 'enjoy' the rest of it." she said as they both walked over to a group of boys. You know Ty Lee- as long as there are boys, she'll enjoy it.

* * *

Phew! Long chapter...anyway, I'm so happy! I've gotten to 60+ reviews! Almost 70! For those who reviewed, THANKS A BUNCH! Next chapter may be up in a few days... :D

-Black5Belt


	18. A Place to Stay

-Yawn- I'm tired...stupid algebra homework. Anyway, here's the next chapter! -falls asleep and snores-

Ages have changed. And they skipped a few years; Zuko- 12, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 11

* * *

Chapter 17: A Place to Stay

Today was that day. Exactly three years ago Ursa had somehow disappeared. Every since then the only people Zuko could rely on were his uncle, Iroh and Mai. However, Iroh would only visit at least once or twice -three times at the most- every month. As for Mai, her visits were not as frequent as when they were younger. Now, she'd be at the palace maybe once a week- maybe even once every other week.

But there was a reason for that. Her father, much like Iroh, was caught up in military work. Very stressing military work. In fact, he and Azula have heard rumors they'd be moving. Zuko though, wouldn't belive it so easily.

Now Azula always seemed to make things worse- whatever the matter was- and Ty Lee was like her little minion. Considering the fact that -unlike Mai- she doesn't have an easily-manipulated crush on him. Of course, Ozai was no question. Azula was (and still is) his "favorite" which made him one of her 'minions' as well.

Now, the somewhat depressed 12 year old stood on the balcony just outside his room in deep thought as flashbacks kept coming to mind of his mother. Of all those times when he was little, good or bad. All those times when she'd be comforting to him. Strangely, that's one reason Mai reminded him so much of Ursa. Always on his side when Azula wasn't.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard light taps on his door.

"Go away," he simply said. Either he had a feeling it was Azula, or he really had no intentions of talking to anybody right now. Maybe both.

"Okay," the voice replied. "Sorry to bug you...I'll just be leaving," the girl had a hint of teasing in her voice as she started walking away with her footsteps clearly heard. And it only took Zuko about thirty seconds to realize it was Mai, and not his devious little sister. Sure he didn't want to talk to anyone right now, but he hadn't seen the girl in almost a month.

"Wait," he ran for his door. One of the large double doors opened, but she was already half-way down the hallway. "Mai!" he called from the other end.

"Yes?" she continued walking. Zuko laughed slightly at her actions and without hesitating, ran after her. Eventually, he caught up with her- considering the fact he was running and she was walking.

Once he reached her, he grabbed her by the arm.

"Just walk away from me like that?" he asked, smiling.

"You did tell me to 'go away'."

"Yeah, well I thought you were Azula..." he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. His hair had been let down from his usual hairstyle, having his dark brown hair nearly covering his eyes. She always thought he looked cute like that. "Now you were going to say something?"

"Yeah, but I forgot..." she smiled weakly. Zuko had smiled back, but it faded as he looked away. She noticed this. "Thinking about your mom again?" she asked softly. Her words were always comforting. As compared to Azula- whenever she'd ask, her voice/tone was cold and heartless. But what did he expect? She was evil...

"No way," he sarcastically replied. Mai stood there listening. "It's been three years..." She gently put a hand on his shoulder and got his attention.

"Well you-" but before she could finish, they both looked over to Azula who stood there with a stack of papers. She raised an eyebrow and for a moment just stared at them like that. Slowly, they separated as Azula rolled her eyes and proceeded down the stairs. Once she was completely out of sight, they had fled to Zuko's room.

"So..."

"Oh right- I remember what I was going to say," She brought up the subject again.

"Yeah?"

"You know my dad's the governor, right?" she started. "Well he's also part of the military and stuff, so he got a mission to the southern parts of the fire nation- and as you know, we're in the farther north."

"For how long?"

"At least a month- could be more," she shrugged. Honestly, she got this all from overhearing and a very short explanation from her mother. Like she knew any better. "And my whole family has to go..."

"Oh," Then he remembered something. "Well, do _you_ necessarily have to go?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you weren't required to go, maybe you could stay here." he suggested. "I mean, Azula is your friend and all- so you wouldn't get too bored. And with Ty Lee, almost always here..."

"Yup, I suppose I could ask my mom." she replied after thinking for a while. "She normally thinks I'm not really that important. Especially when it comes to trips like that."

"She really thinks that?" the girl nodded her head. "Well, I think you're important. If you weren't here, my life here would be pretty boring." He noticed that her cheeks had turned a bright crimson. At that, a female servant walked into the room- of course after knocking.

"Ms. Mai- your mother is here to pick you up." she quietly told them.

"Okay, thank you." she replied as the servant walked out. "I'll see you tomorrow if my mother says yes." she quickly gave him a hug, just in case she'd have to leave for a month, and ran out the door.

* * *

Yeah, I'm so predictable...but it'll be different! Because since I skipped a few years, they'll be at this age for a while. It shouldn't be too boring ;). And Zuko was 14 when he was banished. Right? I need to take note of that in advanced...

I want a carefully stated debate argument following that. Just kidding...we already do that crap at school :P. But I do want reviews! Any kind; good or bad. Thanks!!

-Black5Belt


	19. The New Girl

Yes! I finished this before my bone-crushing, terrifying, rough and tough, killer TOURNAMENT! No- it's not that dramatic. But this chapter does have a little drama, some humor, but LOTS of Maiko!! And I also remembered about spoilers. There won't be any until later which is why I stopped putting those up for a while. Anyway...Enjoy!

Ages are still the same; Zuko- 12, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 11

* * *

Chapter 18: The New Girl

The hallways of the royal palace were normally quiet during these times, and this morning was no different. Azula quietly made her way through them, on her way to Zuko's room. The silence nearly bugged her to death. As you can conclude from that, she isn't exactly a withdrawn, quiet person.

After minutes of pondering their large home, she finally found herself standing in front of her brother's door.

"Zuko! Wake up!" her commanding voice echoed throughout the hallway she was currently in, and- obviously- the room she stood before. His only reply was a muffled 'no'. Sighing, she opened the door and proceeded inside.

"What." To Azula, that didn't even sound like a question.

"Get up," she repeated. "Breakfast is ready." She refused to anything else. If he wanted to stay in bed- then that's his choice.

"Yeah, yeah…" he unhurriedly sat up. "Where's Mai?"

"She's already downstairs," Azula impatiently stood by the door, leaning on the frame. "Speaking of Mai, why'd you have her stay _here_?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko yawned as he pulled his hair back to it's typical style.

"Don't play stupid," she sighed. "You know how she was supposed to go with the rest of her family to the southern fire nation- but instead she's _here_." she explained once more emphasizing the word here.

"Is…that a bad thing?" he asked as a maid calmly made his bed.

"Well, not really. I was just asking why _you _would want her here." she crossed her arms, knowing now she was winning another argument with her brother. "Something just told me you couldn't stay away…" the princess smirked, leaving the room, and a partially embarrassed prince behind.

--

School. Ugh. Most kids/teens from the fire nation dreaded this word. But then again, who doesn't? Zuko glanced at the clock on the wall, but this had made that feeling inside of him a lot worse. It was unbelievable how middle school lasted so long. Stupid bell! Why couldn't it just ring already? He should at least be thankful it was almost over.

_'Ring!!'_ Wow. Some coincidence. Exiting the room, he found himself outside, where he usually met up with Mai.

"Hey,"

"Hi," she answered, though her response didn't sound so enthusiastic. Then something caught the prince's attention. From at least 20 feet away stood a group of girls. Of course, they were all wearing the same thing, considering this is a private school, but there was one that stood out.

"Zuko?" she brought him back to earth. "You're staring..?" she smirked.

"What? No! I...I was not." he answered. Now it was Mai's turn to look at the girl- but not like that...She was tall, slender, and her chocolate-brown hair flowed down to her shoulders. After a while, she said good-bye to her friends and headed their way. "Uh, Mai- she's coming this way."

"Yes, and?"

"What do I do?!" he panicked.

"What do you mean what do you do?" she answered.

"She's coming this way and-"

"Nothing! Just stand there and look like-"

"Psh, you don't even care do-"

"No, actually, she-"

"But even if-"

"She's coming!

"Shhh!"

"You Shh!"

"Hi," she walked into the scene. Mai stayed 'uninterested' as Zuko simply smiled at her. From Mai's point of view, this couldn't be good.

"Yes?" the girl coldly asked. Zuko gave her a quick glare as she threw her arms up in defense. "Yeah...I'll just be over...there..." she referred to where Ty Lee stood with Azula. He smiled approvingly as she gave the girl a cold look before leaving.

"Hi Mai!" Ty Lee squealed. She however, noticed her friend's glumness. "What's the matter?" she asked as though she was singing. Sometimes her happiness could be irritating.

"Uh...nothing?" she lied.

"Yeah right. Look," Azula pointed over to Zuko happily talking to the girl.

"What?" she whispered so that it was barely audible. "What about them?"

"Oh! I know her!" Ty Lee boasted.

"You do?"

"Well, not really," she hung her head slightly. "But I do know her name is Lyka- and that she obviously likes Zuko. Oh and that he likes her." she happily told her friends. Mai watched in disgust as they continued on.

"Ugh..."

"Oh don't worry, he'll get over her." Azula shook her head. Just then, they started walking away- his arm around her shoulder.

"What the?"

"She's just...straightforward!" Ty Lee declared. "Not afraid to just SAY HOW SHE FEELS." she carefully and slowly emphasized those last four words by practically screaming them into Mai's ears.

"Straightforward?"

"Straightforward." Ty Lee repeated. Mai rolled her eyes, and proceeded over to the way home. Or in this case- back to the royal palace.

* * *

Phew! I'm done! And another reference!! I got the girl's name somewhere (Lyka). And if you know, tell me in a review! Winner gets a COOKIE (better than the previous) and a mention in the next chapter. You'll be like a famous star. No- not really. But if you don't know, it's cool.

-Black5Belt


	20. Lies?

OW!! My wrists were BADLY hurt from tae kwon do. So I'm supposed to lay off the computer for a while. :P Anyway, here's the next chapter. And who ever reviews gets a SUPER, HILARIOUS, LOL TREAT!! For real, I'll pm you the link if you review. You can even tell me ONE WORD and I'll take that ;).

**Note: SUPER, HILARIOUS, LOL TREAT only for Zuko-lovers XD**

Ages are still the same; Zuko- 12, Mai/Azula/Ty Lee- 11

* * *

Chapter 19: Lies?

_Tip Tap Tip Tap_

Her steps made an odd rhythm that irritated her as she made her way to a classroom. But why? Because she had been a "good girl" as to accept and run a simple errand for her teacher. Even though the woman insisted the princess shouldn't, she did get a pretty bad grade on her last test.

"You are so mean," a voice laughed- obviously being sarcastic at the moment. She had recognized that a conversation was going on in a room she was not so far from.

"I know," another one boasted. Though the voice sounded strangely familiar. She quickly shook off the fact that she was so tempted to see whoever was in the room. Too late. Curiosity got the better of the girl as she stealthily peeked through the door.

Her eyes shifted around the room to see there were only three girls in there, just talking. A bright haired girl, a shorter one and...Lyka?! Azula was simply appalled at the girls as they resumed their conversation.

_"No! Evesdropping is bad!" _her inner-conscience echoed in the back of her head. She shook that thought away as they continued talking.

"So how long are you going to keep it up?" the short one asked.

"Dunno," Lyka shrugged. "I guess until Jun says something. He's too caught up with that Jin girl though..." she rolled her eyes. Wait, it sounds like she's just using Zuko. As much as she tried, Azula could not stay uninterested.

"Yeah, but I do feel bad for him," the brown-haired girl stated. "He is the prince." Oh yeah, they're definitely talking about her brother. And she's definitely just using him.

"That's the point, Ming." Lyka reminded her friend. "Anyway, let's go- I think free period's over." She said as they got out of their seats and headed for the door. Azula, now somewhat panicked that they were headed her way. She stepped away from the door as they all bowed to her before they had disappeared from her sight into the hallway.

Phew, being a princess did have its benefits.

Meanwhile, Mai was calmly sitting under her favorite tree just outside the back door of the school. She had taken advantage of free period to do her homework under the peaceful weather.

"Stupid homework," she muttered quietly under her breath as she paused to check over an answer she was sure was wrong. "It was fine until they started adding letters to the equations." Surely she was a very smart girl- but perhaps there was something else on her mind.

"Need help?" she looked over to her right to see an unusually happy Zuko sit by her. She could easily tell that it was Lyka-related. Her eyes immediately squinted as her eyebrows slightly came together.

"No, actually I don't." she defiantly looked away. Though part of her really regretted this. Why'd she have to have such a huge crush on him? "And I think Mrs. Lee's class is supposed to be back inside by now." she stood up and headed for the school.

By instinct, Zuko quickly stood up and followed.

"What?" he asked once he had caught up with her. As soon as he had made that comment, she exchanged him a 'what-do-you-think' look. Much like Azula would when he'd ask her a question.

"Look, nothing's wrong...or anything..." she sighed. It killed her to lie to him- but what was she supposed to do? Say his girlfriend's a total...well she's not the type to say words like that. "I'm just gonna get to class." she continued walking.

"Mai," he called after her. Respectfully, she turned around- probably to hear another excuse. But before he could even say anything, Lyka had walked into the picture once more.

"Hey," she greeted him as she gave Mai a nasty look. Without another word, she took him by the arm and gave him a quick peck on the lips. At this, Mai felt as if she had just been stabbed by one of her daggers.

Now shocked and a bit dazed, Lyka waved bye to Mai as she pulled Zuko off away from her.

_"Whatever," _Mai thought as she turned around. But just as she did, she realized she had nearly ran into Azula. "Oh, sorry." her voice still had a hint of jealousy and anger/rage.

"Wait, I need to tell you something!" she stopped her friend. Mai stopped, listening. "You may think I'm making this up- but Lyka's using my brother...to get her old boyfriend back." she spit it out in one short- but still detailed- sentence.

"Really?" Mai wouldn't believe this. As much as she wanted to, it just didn't seem like that.

"Yes, you know Jun? The kid almost every single girl in this school- including me and Ty Lee- thinks is so cute?" Azula tried to explain as quickly as possible as Mai simply nodded her head. "Yeah, I heard her, Ming, and Asuka talking about it."

"The Asuka who we all call Suki?" she questioned.

"Yup," For a moment, Mai stood there thinking. And now that Azula mentioned it, it did make some sense. "So I think we should-"

"No Azula, I don't think we should mess with them." Mai contradicted.

"But if we don't..." she stopped there allowing Mai to think a little before continuing.

"...Oh,"

"See?" she smiled sweetly. "Now let's go,"

* * *

By curiosity, do any of you guys play Tekken (4, 5, or 6)? If you do, you'd probably see another reference thing here. But if you don't play that super awesome PS2/3/P game, then you would have seen I put the name Suki in there. I always thought Asuka's nickname would have been Suki ;)

Gasp! I apologize for still being so predictable and not coming up with anything too original. But I will soon enough :D. And remember, THE SUPER HILARIOUS LOL TREAT FOR ZUKO LOVERS is available once you review! It doesn't take much, trust me ;)

-Black5Belt


	21. Sleepover? You're Kidding! Pt 1

I needed to get this done before we leave for my tournament out of state. So yeah... -SQUEAL!- I'm at 100 reviews!! Thanks a bunch to everyone who's been reading/reviewing since the beginning! Anyway, this chapter was based on an episode of a show...yeah, I kinda thought it would have been devious of Azula to sabotage the girl, helping Mai. Then with the help of Ty Lee...

Ah! I've said too much! -hides- Here it is! Note: I don't watch Hannah Montana. I just saw the commercial/preview and it sparked an idea in my head.

Ages are, of course, still the same; Zuko- 12, Mai Azula and Ty Lee- 11

* * *

Chapter 20: Sleepover? You're Kidding! Pt 1

De ja vu.

Really. About an hour ago, Azula and Mai stood in the same spot in front of the school during free period. And there they were again- only this time, things weren't much of a surprise anymore. Sighing, Mai spoke up.

"So..." she tried starting a conversation.

"Shh," Azula kept her quiet. Obviously, there was a reason Azula hadn't said anything yet- and normally she -next to Ty Lee- was one of the loudest. "Have you seen Lyka yet?" she brought her up.

"No, why?"

"Because..." the frown on her face slowly grew into a smirk with every word she was saying. "We're gonna sabotage her." she happily boasted. Mai had a mixed look on her face; of confusion, deviousness, and anxiety.

"You and me? You just...you?" she asked.

"Well, you're staying at our palace anyway, so yes. You too." she turned to her. "Here's how it's gonna work..." she looked around for anybody near or approaching before leaning in to whisper into her ear.

--

"Ty Lee, have you seen Lyka?" Mai calmly approached her jittery friend. She was merely a few feet away from her and Azula a few minutes ago- and she had thought maybe she'd seen the girl yet.

"Over there," she happily replied, clueless of what she was asking for. "Which reminds me- have you gotten over the fact that she's with Zuko? That every minute they spend together it seems like you're invisible. And that she's already kissed him like...3 times?"

"What?!" she released in a sudden outburst. "I never even thought of it _that_ way!"

"Oh, sorry..." Ty Lee had calmed down. "Did I mention she's kissed him like 3 times already?" she smiled. Mai's previously open mouth closed as her eyebrows sank into a frown.

"Yes. Yes you have." she refused to change the expression on her face, before walking away. Once she turned around, she realized Ty Lee was right. Zuko and his so called, "girlfriend" were sitting under a tree. Her favorite tree.

"That little..." she growled quietly to herself. By this time, Azula had caught up with her.

"Come on," she dragged the troubled girl to that tree as she now stood over the couple, arms crossed with the vicious glare from Mai. "Hello Zuzu...Lyka..." she greeted.

"Azula, what now?" he asked impatiently.

"We need to talk to Lyka," she smiled innocently and sweetly. "privately?" she asked. Zuko had a suspicious look on his face at first, but the sight of Mai with a somewhat hurt yet angry expression in her eyes had him walk away with no second thought.

"Yes?" the girl stood up.

"Look, we're really sorry for anything we've done." Azula started. She had really sounded believable- gotta give the girl some credit for that. "So we want to 'start over'." she finished as they both turned to Mai who was very unwilling to say this.

"Do you want to...come over to the palace?" she gritted through her teeth. "For a...sleepover?" she choked out. _'Very smooth'_, she thought. Judging by this -and previous times- Azula would definitely pass as an actress, possibly leaving Mai as an understudy for her qualities.

"Really?" Lyka raised an eyebrow, still suspicious. Though her parents would probably be very happy if she would associate with the princess. Mai and Azula nodded their heads. "Okay,"

"Great..." Azula smiled.

--

_'Ding!' 'Dong!'_

Normally the only times you would hear those was when Azula was mad. Specifically at her brother- therefore resulting in calling him a ding dong. But now was different. Previously, the girl's had invited Lyka to some sleepover as part of Azula's little plans- then somehow Ty Lee found out and _begged _to come. Of course, who would say no to that?

"Now remember, we're only trying to get her to admit she's using Zuko," Azula reminded Mai and Ty Lee, who were now sitting on the couch- Ty Lee sitting on the floor. "Nothing else." she gave Mai a look that clearly meant she was specifically addressing her.

"Sure," the girl replied. With that, a servant walked in with Lyka and about five bags. Of course...

"Hi!" Ty Lee piped up. Lyka smiled at her and sat down between her and the princess. Mai noted perhaps, just maybe, she was avoiding her. Good. Out of nowhere, Zuko had come from a hallway nearby- shirtless with wet hair- holding what looks like one of Azula's underwear.

"This is so gross, Azula." he held it at least a foot away from himself, clearly disgusted. Obviously, he was in the shower when he found...that. "You should really..." he looked up to see all four girls looking up at him, three of them trying to hold in a laugh- while the other one-

"What the?" she stood up, slightly embarrassed as she grabbed it and dashed off. For at least a minute, they all sat there in an awkward silence. After a while Azula came back with a shirt.

"Here," she handed it to him as she sat back down in her spot. "Put it on and come join us." she commanded.

"But...I'd rather no-"

"Do it!" she glared at him. He then gave her a 'fine-no-need-to-yell' look as she slipped the shirt on. Mai had to admit she did prefer it off...

"Excuse me," the servant walked in once again. She stopped just a few feet away from the couch. "But your father wanted me to tell you that your dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes." she spoke in a gentle voice. Similar to Ursa when she was still here. Maybe that's why she's one of Zuko's favorites...

"Thank you," Azula smiled as she bowed and left. Then turned to the group. "Now that Zuzu's here and dinner's almost ready, let's start with one of my favorite games." she stood up.

"We call it...Hide-and-seek/truth-or-dare," Mai helped as memories of them years back played this.

"And we're going to use teams," Zuko suddenly remembered this little game they had played before. Right before they were told to go to the market. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it once Azula gave him another deadly glare. Those have gotten scarier since the last time he's seen one.

"Oh! Can I work with Lyka?" Ty Lee asked. Azula rolled her eyes meaning 'yes' as the girl walked over to her team-mate.

"I'm working by myself- and Zuko, you're with Mai." she stated. Zuko looked over to Mai- who returned his expression. She smiled weakly and stood up with now word. "Do you all remember how this goes?" she smiled deviously as they all stood up to play.

_'What's up with her?' _he asked himself, even though he knew it was a stupid question. Tonight was going to be a _long_ night...

* * *

Yeah, I normally put only about 1,000 words in each chapter so I stopped here. Didn't mean for it to be one of those nasty cliff-hangers! So keep reading! This will get interesting...

I'm also open for any suggestions they can do to get Lyka to talk. Thanks!

-Black5Belt


	22. Sleepover? You're Kidding! Pt 2

Ah! I just realized I haven't updated in...a...while...but (I know you've heard this a lot) I was SO caught up in school, and the fact that I fractured (broke in other words) my ankle. So sad...Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Ages are still the same (obviously). And I kinda played around with different point of views. Thought it'd fit...

* * *

Chapter 21: Sleepover? You're Kidding! Pt 2

_Zuko's POV;_

What was that?

I can't believe Azula had us play that game again. The one where we play hide and seek- and if she finds us we do a truth or dare. First off, it's a _girly _game. Last time I checked, I'm a guy. Second, she practically tortured us!

Yeah, torture. Knowing the tree in the backyard was her weakness, she had Ty Lee stuck up there again by tricking her. Eventually, she fell out- landing on her wrist. Ouch. She even had Mai get attacked by one of those weird komodo-rhinos outside because she somehow got the scent of their food on her clothes. And Lyka had ended up in that fountain where Mai and I landed before.

Devious.

Of course, the other two had to laugh. I don't see what they have against her! I understand Azula's always trying to get me and everyone I know- but Ty Lee and Mai? Eh, they do say I am clueless at times...

And me? Honestly, she's done enough. It all started when she had pushed me to sit with them and their little sleepover. Of course I wanted to get out of this, but now dad is just making me stay. They had made me do numerous things by now. Most of which had involved Lyka as well. Now we are all eating dinner in the main dinning room- and I can easily tell tensions are rising...

_Normal POV;_

So far the whole time the kids were seated in the dinning room eating, nobody has said anything. But the expressions on their faces were pretty self-explanitory. Ty Lee was evidently upset that her wrist was unmovable. Of course, she couldn't say it was Azula fault because one- she had tricked her into getting up there. She had done it herself. And two- if she were to tell Ozai, he'd simply laugh.

Mai was still obviously filled with jealousy and now negative attitude. Lyka probably wouldn't say anything tonight. But then again, it looked as if she is a little pissed off at what Azula's done so far. Speaking of her, she had only been quiet because she could feel the silence taking over, and had no intention of ruining that now.

Now you'd have to be really dense to not see that Zuko was angry. Probably past that too. There was really no reason Azula hasn't said a word yet; she was simply waiting for someone else to speak first. So everyone now is just sitting- possibly "enjoying"- a quiet super.

_Azula's POV; _

Ugh. The agony! I can't believe this has been so quiet. What's wrong with everybody? Well okay, maybe that was a pretty stupid question...but now I'm actually going to do something. Hmmm...nobody's looking. I'm gonna go talk to Lyka.

"Um Lyka? Can I talk to you?" I ask ever so sweetly. Easy. Everyone looks at me, then at the girl as she shrugs and steps off her chair to follow me. We walk a few feet from the door just in case someone's listening.

"Yes?" Yeah, now I turn off the nice act as my innocent smile turns into a vicious frown/suspicious look.

"Look, I know what you're up to." Apparently, she's going with this because now she looks as if she's really mad. "I know that you're just using my brother to get your loser boyfriend back." Was that too harsh?

"Okay," she shrugs. "So now you know...what are you going to do?"

"Nothing for now," I have another idea spark in my head. "But your guilt with the help of me will eventually get you to admit. Just wait..." now I walk away. That should have been enough for her.

--

_Normal POV;_

The kids have just finished their dinner not so long ago- in fact, that was probably only about half an hour ago. Now they were all waiting so they could continue with other things before bed-time.

By this time, everyone- except for Zuko- was obviously against Lyka. Every pair of eyes sent glares to hers, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable. Her gaze shifted around the room, aware that the girls were very well aware of her.

Unfortunately for her, Zuko was unaware of all the tension between them all this time. Suddenly, Azula spotted a half-full glass of water sitting on a small table beside her. Smirking, she stood up carefully.

"Hey, I have to use the bathroom." she quickly and subtly jerked her foot enough to kick the table causing the glass to fall on her, having the girl's pants soaking wet. She smiled once again. "Oops, I'm so sorry! Here, I can get a servant to get you some new pants..." she told her.

"Strike one," she whispered over to where Ty Lee and Mai sat.

As Lyka strode over to where the servant stood, Ty Lee gladly stuck her leg out having the girl trip- only before she had landed on the cold, hard floor, she managed to catch herself and turn her head to glare at the girls sitting together. Azula and Mai smiled simply as Ty Lee gave her the signature 'Ty Lee smile', making it obvious she was the culprit that time.

"Strike two," she said again.

For the last time, it was Mai's turn. She looked around to see another servant coming their way, this time with a tray full of water, and some other beverages. Calmly as the she approached, she stuck her finger in some random direction and yelled,

"Whoa! Look out!" The woman had been- evidently- distracted as most of the contents on the tray had toppled over their victim, Lyka.

"Ugh! Okay!" There, she was cracking. Azula by now, had told the servant (who at this point was feeling pretty guilty) that they could handle this. "Fine! I'll admit it. I'll admit that I was only using Zuko to get my old boyfriend back!" she confessed, trying to wring out the pants and shirt she wore.

"Strike three, and she's out..." Azula smiled to herself, satisfied.

Yep, she's pretty upset by now. "Now I just want to _go home_." she burst out, emphasizing the words go and home as she walked towards the door. Now to deal with Zuko. They all turned to him at the same time, as he had an unfamiliar look on his face. Without another word, he stood up to leave for his room. The girls stared back at each other then over to Mai.

"What?" she asked, not sure where they were going with this. Azula then gestured for her to go follow. She took this, and got up as well.

* * *

Yeah, I stopped early. But I just wanted to get this chapter up before my birthday (6 days!!). I'm so sad though because I'll have this cast on my leg through my birthday :(. So yeah, and I apologize once more for updating pretty late. And that it might go like that for a while...

-Black5Belt


	23. Author's Note

Semi-Important Author's Note!!

Hey people who are acutally interested in this story! Before you hurt me, I'm apologizing that I haven't written for this story in a while. I have a lot going on (nothing too bad, just school, my martial arts, and the fact that I was out of the country for a while :D). More details? Just ask.

No, I'm not saying I'm discontinuing this. Don't worry about that, it also severely bugs me when stories are left alone. Thought I have partially lost interest in Avatar lately, I have still been on FanFiction. Just not in the Avater section (Who else loves Naruto?! XD).

I'll update soon enough. Just give me a few ideas, maybe, and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks for your patience!  
Black5Belt


End file.
